The Girl, the Prince, and the Werewolves
by Fairytale Dreamer
Summary: This is a story about a young girl in New York who has the strangest neighbors and what seems to be a boring life. Until, one night, her entire life changes when she goes on an amazing adventure, finding that there is more to her life than she knew.
1. Default Chapter

Hello all fairytale fanfics! This is Fairytale Dreamer and I'm excited about this story I'm writing! Please R&R, just let me hear what you have to say. I'm very interested. Enjoy!!

Here is a story that you will find unique. It is unlike others because it is a fairytale, but not just any fairytale. This is far from being your typical Cinderella story.

That's because of me. My name is Leora Corlett and I live in the enchanted land of New York City. Actually, it's far from enchanted. I just turned seventeen last month, and I've lived here since I was a baby. My parents died in a car crash after I was born; so my Aunt took custody of me and brought me out of the countryside and into the city. We live in a decent apartment right on the edge on Central Park. Aunt Connie is a maid in one of the hotels downtown; she works all day but is always home once I get out of school. She's always worried about me, and very protective. I'm just finishing up my senior year and I'm quite relieved about it. You see, I've never really fit in, I'm just different. Yeah, I've had my share of friends and had a boyfriend once, but it just never worked out.

So, I got a part time job at the local book store just several blocks from my apartment. We don't get much business there, but I love to read, its been an obsession of mine ever since I was a kid. My Aunt always told stories about kings, queens, elves, trolls, goblins, dwarves, knights, princesses, and werewolves. I've always wanted to live that kind of life, to go on a spectacular adventure and never come back. But I didn't choose my life. Anyways, when I was seven, Aunt Connie gave me a locket necklace. It has an L engraved on it, though I could never get the thing open. Still, it's a beautiful golden necklace, and I always wear it.

Here's where I begin. Schools just let out for the summer, I've finally finished high school. Heading back from the tortures of the horrible private school, I step off the elevator on my floor when I bump into one of my neighbors. I've always been kind of spacey, it's because of the pills my Aunt makes me take. She says if I don't, I tend to get overexcited and extremely hyper. It's very bizarre. "I'm sorry! It's just one of those days!" I said to my neighbor. She smiled and replied, "It's okay Leora. I gotta go, I'm running late. This week at the restaurant has been killing me!" She said goodbye and got into the elevator with her bike. I've always liked Virginia. She lives three doors down from my Aunt and me, and even though she's six years older than me, we think on the same level. Though, there's something about her I can't put my finger on. It might be the fact that her father, I think his name is Tony, was reported for robbing a bank, but then he disappeared. I never asked her about it, I figured she didn't want to talk about the whole ordeal.

I unlocked my door and stepped inside, putting my school bag down. It was good to be home. Our apartment wasn't the biggest in New York, there were only four rooms, but it was wonderful. I walked into my rooms and started changing when my Aunt chimed at me from the kitchen, "Good afternoon Leora! How was your last day of school?" "Fine Aunt Connie, same as always." I hollered from my room. "That's good. You'd better hurry, you have to be at Metilda's store soon!" "Okay." I said.

I pulled my faded yellow t-shirt over my head and put on my dark green coat that flowed down to my ankles. I put half of my auburn hair up in a bun and let the rest flow down my back. I looked into the mirror at my black addida sneakers, wearing my charcoal jean pants with my golden locket shining on my chest. 'Not bad,' I thought.

Walking to the door, I saw Connie impatiently waiting. Standing only four foot eleven, she tapped her stubby foot with her hands on her wide waist. I walked over, gave her a puppy-dog face, and hugged her saying sweetly, "I'm sorry; I'll try to be on time okay!"

She smiled and her rosy cheeks flushed redder, then she handed me a brown bag. "I made you a roast beef sandwich, your favorite!" I took it then slung my violet backpack over my shoulders. Then she handed me my pill and said, "Take this before you eat!" I took it and smiled, "Your so wonderful Connie! I don't know what I'd do without you!" I kissed her on the cheek, and for a moment believed that her smiled went away, but it returned quickly and I thought nothing of it. I walked out of the door and went downstairs and into the forest. Central Park has less traffic and noise, so I head through there to get to work.

It was close to six o'clock and I was very comfortable behind the cashier desk with my nose in _The_ _Grim Fairytales_. As I gorged down my sandwich, my boss, Metilda, came up to me. "I'm going to run an errand. Watch the store and make sure no one steals anything!" I nodded, not even looking up from my book, "Uh huh." She sighed and rolled her eyes as she left the store. "Metilda's" was the name of it, after the owner obviously. She and I were the only ones that worked there, we'd occasionally have customers, but not many kept coming back. It seems no one is interested in books anymore; everyone is stuck in their houses watching television. I pity them for not seeing the real pleasure of reading an incredibly written book.

SLAM! The door was pushed open, and in popped him. He came in full of energy, immediately searching the shelves for a book, talking to himself. He's been coming to our store many times, for almost a month I believe. And he always gets a book from the same section.

"AHA! I've found you!" He boomed throughout the empty shop. Not even jumping, I marked the page I had finished and put my book down to ring the man up. He came to the front desk and set the book in front of me. It was called, _150 Ways to Cook Chicken_. I rang it up noticing the strange man scratching the side of his head, making his black hair wild. That was Virginia's fiancée, and he kept our store in business. It was funny though, as nice of a guy as he was, I never knew his name. Sometimes I could hear Virginia and him in their apartment, and I swear that she's called him 'wolf,' like it was his name. But it was too odd, so I never asked him what his name was.

As I put his book in a plastic bag, I told him, "You know, they don't have this in the recipe in there, but I can make a delicious chicken stew." He gasped excitedly and asked, "Really?!? That's sounds absolutely scrumptious! Me and Virginia should come over sometime and try it!" I laughed, he was always obsessed with food. And I couldn't blame him, never in a hundred years could I be a vegetarian. Then, before leaving, he picked up the book I'd been reading, "Ah, _Grim Fairytales._ What a great story!" I smiled and nodded. Putting the book down, he smiled back, then was on his way.

But opening the front door, he stopped and pondered a moment, then said under his breath, "Who would believe that _that_ was actually true! Huh." Then the store was silent once more, and there I stood, wondering, eyes wide open. Was he for real?

As they sky turned dark over Central Park, the woods stood still. All of a sudden, a great noise could be heard in the deep corner of the forest, but no one was around to hear it. A portal opened, and suddenly a creature covered in a hooded black cloak appeared. Then, two more followed. In their native tongue, they spoke, then quickly darted out of the forest, the first one holding a strange looking compass in front of him.

Aunt Connie stood at the stove, making something in a large pot. She pulled out some strange green dust from a round cup and mixed it into her concoction. The brew steamed green smoke and then she closed her eyes and began to chant in another language. Then suddenly, she stopped. She sensed something was wrong, and quickly poured out the potion and ran into her room. She then came out again carrying something, then took it into Leora's bedroom. That's when someone banged on the door. Connie panicked and ran back to the kitchen, but before she could grab a weapon, three hooded creatures broke in.

The first one grabbed Connie by the throat and pinned her to a wall. Then, he told her, "If you so much as scream, or don't give us the truth, I'll slit your throat!" Frightened, Connie nodded. He then said something to the others and they searched the apartment; a minute later they returned.

"Where is she?" Stuttering, Connie answered, "I...I don't know!" The creature punched her across the face then growled, "Don't you lie! Where's the girl gone?" Beginning to weep, she told him, "She's at work. She won't be home for quite awhile!" Pulling her feet off the ground, he asked in but a whisper, "And where does she work?"

It was ten o'clock when Metilda and I locked up. The evening had gone by slow, having only one customer. But it was nice, and Metlida was a good person to work for. "So, do you know where you're going to college yet Lori?" I sighed, "I already told you, I'm not. I'm going to travel. Never in my life have I been out of New York, and I'm sick of it here! I want to go on an adventure, see new places, and meet new people, hopefully not as shallow as the ones I've known!" Metilda put her hand on my cheek lightly, "One day, you'll find your place in this life. Whether it be here or somewhere else. I promise." I smiled, and said goodnight then walked into the park. Looking up at the moon, I felt better than I'd ever had. Things were looking up.


	2. Another Quest Through the Kingdoms

"Metilda's" had been locked up for only ten minutes, when it reopened. The three cloaked creatures broke into the shop with just a swing of their axe. Stepping inside, two searched the entire store as the third scanned from the doorway. They quickly returned, spoke again, and then the third took out his compass. With only a grunt, the three left the shop with the sirens from inside blaring.

'I'm so glad I took the shortcut through the park, it's so much nicer, and the sky is so much bigger!' Leora thought as she stood in the elevator. When the doors opened, she walked down to her doorway dreamily. However, she stopped in her tracks. Looking around to see who was there, she found the hallway deserted. Staring back at her door, she took a deep breath.

Her door had been broken in, and it looked like she had been robbed. Leora stepped inside and saw the whole apartment was trashed. She looked around to find her aunt. "Aunt Connie? Connie?" Then she gasped. Entering her aunt's bedroom, she found Connie dead on the bed. Her eyes were frozen in terror, as her lifeless body laid there. Someone had slit her throat, and she was drowned in blood. Leora ran over to her in tears, so horrified at the sight of her dear aunt.

"No! Aunt Connie! Oh God!" She held her aunts hand that was covered in blood. Leora wept and wept. Her only family she had left had died. Someone had come in and murdered her. It was so brutal, so cold blooded. But then, Leora suddenly remembered something her aunt had always told her.

"If anything is to happen to me, I want you to remember to always go back to your childhood. It there's anything you wish to know, go back to these memories."

Leora never understood what her aunt meant. All she knew about what he aunt said was that her aunt always told her this whenever she read _The Grim Fairytales_. Then suddenly, she let go of her aunt's hand and went into her room. It was chaotic from the break-in of course, but Leora knelt down in front of her bookshelf.

She searched the rack for it, and then finally found the very old and dusty copy of _The Grim Fairytales_. She pulled it out and sat down on her bed, dusting the book off with her green wool coat. She opened the book to the very first page, and there she found what she thought she was looking for. It had never been in the book before, but she knew Aunt Connie must have had enough time to place it in the book before the murderer came in.

Leora picked up a gold key from the book and looked at it. She set the book down and read the initial, "L". She pondered a moment, then looked down at her locket. She took the key and put it into the lock of her necklace. Before she turned it, Leora heard noises. She quickly put the key in the sock of her addidas and picked up her bookbag, running out of the apartment and down the stairs. She knew if someone had come into the open apartment seeing Leora with bloody hands and her aunt on the bed, they'd think she killed her. Leora knew her aunt wanted her to be safe, and knew that she wanted her to have this key. So, she went as fast as she could down the seventeen stairwells and out of the building, just as Virginia and Wolf came out of the elevator.

"I think we could try a few of those ways. The chicken I've been cooked could use some change!" Virginia said as Wolf excitedly told her about his new book. "Yes! And, little Leora said she could even make some excellent chicken stew! We should-" He stopped. Virginia propped her bike next to the wall and looked at him curiously, "What? What is it?"

"I smell blood." He replied. Virginia looked at him as he made his way down the hall. Going past their own door, he walked past two more. Then, stopped in front of the Corlett's open door. Stepping inside, Virginia called, "Miss Corlett? Leora? Is anyone here?" They searched the apartment but found nothing but the mess. Then, Wolf called to Virginia, "Over here!" But when she came, Virginia only hid in his arms. They had found Aunt Connie's body.

Wolf held Virginia as she cried, but then, picked up a scent. She looked up at him and asked, "What is it? Do you smell something?" "Besides Miss Corlett, I can smell Leora. She's been here quite recently." "You don't think she had anything to do with this, do you?" Wolf reassured her, "No. She wouldn't. Wait, I'm picking up another scent."

He walked around the room a moment, then left and went into the kitchen. Then he stopped. "It can't be! Not here! Why would they've attacked her?" He gasped. "They must have been looking for us! It makes sense! They'll be looking for anyone who can locate us!" Confused and bewildered, Virginia said, "I don't understand. You're rambling! What do you mean, _they_?" Wolf looked around then ran out the door yelling, "We have to find Leora! She's in terrible danger!"

Leora walked hastily into Central Park. She was so upset and confused, she didn't know what she was going to do. She lifted her hand to wipe her tears, but stopped seeing the blood covering it. She ran to a creek nearby and knelt down to wash her hands. She cried and cried and didn't know when she would stop. Then, she dried her hands on her coat and looked at the water. It was so calm, so serene. She saw the reflection of the moon on the water and looked up at the sky. It was still glowing bright; in a few nights it would be a full moon. Leora knew then that she had to leave New York.

Walking back up to the path, she heard rustling in some bushes nearby. She kept walking, acting casual. But then, she started to hear footsteps behind her. The faster she went, the faster the footsteps went. Then, about to break into a run, she faked out her follower and stopped abruptly. Turning around, she punched her stalker in the stomach. It was a strange man in a black cloak, who bent over when she had punched him. So, she followed her first instinct and punched him again, this time in the head. He fell to the ground, and that's when another on came out of the dark. He held an axe and came towards her. She faced him on and did a high kick, knocking the weapon from his hands. Then she kicked him in the face. He fell to the ground, giving Leora an opportunity to run.

But her chance was over too quickly. All of a sudden, someone grabbed her from behind and set a large dagger to her neck. Leora saw her attacker's hand around her waist, and was frightened to find it was green. Then, he whispered in her ear, "You move the slightest bit, and I'll slit your throat like I did to your watcher!" Immediately, Leora knew who he was referring to, and froze. Tears came to her eyes once more, and the other two cloaked men rose from the ground and followed her kidnapper and herself into the darkness of the forest.

"Now what are we going to do? We're outnumbered by them; we can't take those guys on! How can we help her?" Virginia and Wolf watched the scene nearby in the park. "We'll follow them. They'll lead us to the portal to the other world." He said calmly, he was focused on getting Leora back.

"What? You mean those guys are from the 9 kingdoms? Wolf, you have to tell me what's going on? Who are those men and what do they want with Leora?" "Those are not men! Their goblins, and up until now I thought they were sent to hunt down me and you. But, it seems they already got what they came for." Virginia became baffled, "But why do they want Leora? How is she important to them?" But Wolf shook his head and said, "I don't know. Come on, their leaving!" And he took her hand and they ran after Leora and her capturers.

One of the strange men tied Leora's hands behind her back, then gagged her mouth with a piece of cloth. The one who had captured her gave her to one of the others and looked down at his compass. Leora tried reading it, but it wasn't like ordinary compasses. It seemed almost magical. But she put the thought out of her mind; how could there be magic?

Just then, her question was answered. The men stopped in front of a piece of forest unlike the woods around them. It was like a big clear doorway, but it didn't fit with the woods. Then, the first man walked into it. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. In shock, Leora was pushed along with the second one, and he pushed her right into it. Everything happened so fast, she felt as though she was flying. Then suddenly, her journey stopped. She then was on a beach, and it was early morning. There weren't any buildings around, only sand, water, and sky. But then, she was turned around. In front of her was a gigantic piece of land that extended as far as she could see. Then, the strange men pushed her forward; they walked up the sandy hill and made it to solid earth, leading to forests beyond. She then looked back at the beach. She gasped. She saw the doorway they had used to come to this world, and it was a mirror. But, she was shoved forward by one of the men, and turned around and walked again. Those men obviously didn't care about the mirror. They didn't care that it was still switched on.

She stepped out of the world she knew, and into the world she had only recently discovered. With Wolf following behind her, Virginia looked at the beach that they stood on. Then, she looked at the mirror with Wolf. It was dirty and covered with barnacles. Scratching his head, Wolf wondered, "What is the mirror doing all the way out here? We're all the way at the ocean!"

Thinking, Virginia had no idea why the mirror was out here- "Wait!" She said. "I know why! When my Dad and I were looking for our mirror, we found out that there was more than one!" Wolf then agreed, "That's right! There was more than one mirror! The first one, was smashed by your clumsy Dad, Tony." Virginia gave Wolf an aggravated look, but he continued, "Second, was with your mom, the Queen, at the time; until we got it from her and it's now in Wendell's castle. Wait, then how is this mirror here?"

"Because there was a third mirror!" Virginia explained. "There was a third mirror, and it was in the ocean! The goblins must have found out where it was, picked it up out of the water, and went to New York to get Leora!" Wolf smiled and kissed his fiancée saying, "Oh, your so smart Virginia!" She smiled and told him, "Let's go. We have to catch up with Leora. But, once we get to her, how will we get rid of the goblins?" Wolf made a sly laugh, "My sweet Virginia, you know that I've gotten you out of many predicaments before using my skills and intelligence! And I can surely do it now!"

So, Wolf sniffed the air, found a scent and took off running with Virginia close behind. It had only been a short while, and already she was back in the 9 kingdoms on another adventure.


	3. Deciving the Goblins

Hey, I'm glad some of you guys have started to read my story! And please, be kind, review and unwind! I've got lots more to write, and I need the support! Tally-Ho with the story!

"MMFF MMF MFF!" She tried to yell to the goblins. Leora was walking with the goblins who were guarding her as they walked through the forest. One of the goblins sighed, "She won't shut up! Can't we just kill her already?" "No!" Protested the leader. "_She_ wants us to keep her alive. It's out duty as her royal goblins to keep that promise. When she says we can kill her, we will!" Leora's eyes grew wide. "Well, can we at least shut her up? She's been muffling for hours!" The lead goblin groaned, rolling eyes his. Then, he turned around and knocked Leora out. She fell to the ground, and at once the muffling stopped.

The lead goblin turned and began walking again. The other two picked up Leora and one of them whispered, "That's much better!"

"Wolf! Can we stop? We've been running forever!" Virginia panted as she tried to keep up with Wolf. He looked up at the darkening sky and said, "It's almost nightfall. I'm sure they'll stop soon to sleep. That'll be our opportunity to get Leora and get here out of here!" They kept on running, and Virginia wished that they could stop; she was exhausted.

But soon enough, her wish was granted. Trying to catch up to Wolf, she turned around a tree and bumped right into him. Stopping and taking a breath, she asked, "Why did you-" He put a finger to her lips and pointed over his left shoulder. One hundred feet away, Virginia could see a fire starting to build above the trees. "Now we can stop running." Wolf whispered.

He then started looking around at the ground below him. He sniffed through the woods as Virginia followed him curiously, "What are you looking for?" She whispered to him. "As far as I can tell, we're in the Fourth Kingdom. But very, very North!" Virginia was confused, "I don't understand, what does that have to do with anything?" And he told her, "There is a certain plant that grows in the Fourth Kingdom, aha!" He knelt down in front of a small bush and ripped some of its leaves off. "It's called fairygrass, it's used to help people get to sleep. When they consume it, they'll sleep for quite a while, a day, two perhaps." "How are we going to feed this to the goblins? I'm not too sure they would want to meet anybody on their journey!"

Taking a few biscuits out of his pocket, Wolf told her, "Oh, don't worry. They won't even see us!"

Waking up, Leora opened her deep green eyes to see that it was already night. And her head hurt horribly. She tried to lift her hand to her head, but she realized she was chained to a tree. She sat there and looked at the gruesome display in front of her. The goblins had pulled off their hoods. She couldn't even describe how ugly the three were, and they were such pigs. They sat around the fire eating what looked like onions and beanstalk.

"I can't stand it!" Said one of the goblins. "We haven't eaten a decent meal for days. All it's been is these horrid vegetables!" He tossed a beanstalk down and spat out his mouthful. "You'll have to eat it, there aren't many wild animals around this part of Wendell's kingdom. Lousy king he is!" The three agreed and continued eating.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a faint noise. Leora could barely hear it. The goblins stood up and looked around. Then, finding nothing was there, they slowly sat back down. And then, one of them noticed something. "Look!" He said to the others. "It's biscuits!" He leaned over to the edge of their bonfire and picked up one. And before he could grab anymore, the other two ran over and took them. "I haven't had biscuits for weeks!" One stated. One of them looked at Leora and said, "Hey, shouldn't we give her one? She looks starved!" "No! That little brat can starve for all I care!" And they gobbled down their biscuits in just a couple of bites.

As time passed, they sat and talked, laughing with each other over how they torture their victims. Then, the leader stood up, and walked over to Leora and bent down, looking into her eyes. "When our Queen meets you, you'll wish you were never born! She...she..." The goblin made a big yawn, and Leora grimaced from the smell. Then, the other two began to look tired, and suddenly, they all fell to the ground.

All of a sudden, Leora heard a noise from the tree beside hers. And with a crash, her rescuer jumped down from the tree. It was Virginia's fiancée! "MFF! MMF! MM!" She muffled. "It's okay now, you're safe!" He came over and took the cloth out of her mouth, "How did you get here? How did you know I was here?" Taking the key from the head goblin he went behind her tree and unlocked the chains. "Virginia and I followed you here through the magic mirror. We, uh, saw you leave your apartment and followed you."

Getting up, Leora went over to one of the goblins who was snoring and took back her book bag and swung it around her shoulders. "Where's Virginia?" "Waiting, now come on, we have to get out of here!" He took her hand and they ran away from the sleeping goblins and the fire.

Sitting on a rock, Virginia thought about Leora and her aunt. 'Why would they want to kidnap her? Why murder her aunt and leave her alive? How is she important to goblins from this dimension?' Clearly, there was more to Leora Corlett that meets the eye. Virginia came out of her thoughts when she saw Wolf and Leora running towards her. "Virginia!" Leora exclaimed. She ran up and hugged her, "I'm so glad you're alright!" "You know me, I get into loads of trouble!" Leora responded. They laughed, and Wolf interrupted them, "Ladies, I'm sorry to say this, but we have to get out of here! Since these guys know where we live, we have to stay in the Fourth Kingdom!" "What are you proposing Wolf?" Virginia asked. "We have to get to Wendell's castle!"

"Hold on just one minute!" Leora protested. She looked at them both bewilderedly, "Goblins? Magic mirrors? Castles? And your name is Wolf? Could somebody please enlighten me, because I am very confused!" Virginia and Wolf looked at each other, and decided they could take a little bit to explain everything to her.

"And that's the last thing that's happened to us involving this place! Up until now that is, and its only been a few weeks!" Virginia and Wolf finished explaining everything to her, and all Leora could do was say, "You're saying that fairytales are real? And that we're not in America anymore? And you're a werewolf?" They nodded guiltily.

"I'm shocked! And excited! And scared out of my mind! Why were those goblins trying to kidnap me?" "We don't know. We've never seen them before. Did they say anything to you at all?" Leora thought a moment, then she remembered, "Yes! Before they went to sleep, one of them told me that they would take me to the 'Queen' and I will 'wish I'd never been born!"

"That can't be possible! The last Queen was my mother! She's dead." Virginia suddenly was overwhelmed with sadness. Leora saw her pain and got up and sat next to her. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to loose your family." "God, why should I be upset! You just lost your aunt, and you never knew your parents!" Leora nodded, "Yeah, well, that's life. It comes in many different flavors."

"We should go to Wendell, he'll know what do to about your situation. Come on, we need to get a move on!" The two girls rose and followed Wolf, who didn't run this time, but stayed and walked with them.


	4. Changes throughout the 10 Kingdoms

Hey guys! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I promise I'll be more efficient this week! But what can I say, you can never rush an artist! Jk guys, please R&R!

It was close to mid afternoon that sunny day, just a few miles North of Wendell's castle. Everything was quiet, until, there came a great noise from the estate. It sounded like an explosion of some sort. Then, coming up over a hill, was a young man riding a brown horse. He turned and looked back at the castle a moment, then kicked his steed and ran off at full speed.

Five miles from Wendell's, Virginia slowly followed behind Wolf, who turned around to help her on. They had been traveling all night. She told him, "I can't go on, I'm too tired! I don't get it, I'm usually good at this!" She sat down on a rock and Wolf sat next to her saying lovingly, "My sweet Virginia, you're changing; you have a little pup growing inside of you, things are gonna be a lot more challenging for you. We have to be extra careful!" "Well, this is gonna be hard. I don't know if I can handle having a baby Wolf!" He put his hand on her stomach and reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll be here to help you. I love you Virginia."

She smiled and kissed him relieved. Then suddenly, she and Wolf remembered, "Leora! Where is she?" Wolf got up and called for her, "Leora! Where are you?" He turned back to Virginia and said, "It's alright, I'll find her! You stay here!" She nodded as he ran off. How could they have stopped when they knew Leora was walking ahead of them?

'Don't stay on the main path' Leora told herself. Wolf said that it was too dangerous to be on the main path towards Wendell's castle. So, staying in the wilderness, Leora walked along. She knew that Virginia and Wolf were behind her, but didn't want to bother them. She somehow had the feeling they had a lot to deal with, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Ever since last night she felt so strange. Leora had never felt like this before. She was extremely hungry for one, she felt as though she was full of energy, and she felt very sensitive to the things around her. During the night, she realized she could see all the wildlife that was going on, everything bustling about. And she could smell it too, she never could smell things that well before. Also, she had an unbearable headache.

Finding a small creek, Leora bent down for a sip of water. Then, she realized what it was. Leora had forgotten to take her pills! Her aunt had always said to never forget to take them; so, Leora took off her book bag and unclipped it, rummaging about for her medicine. She found the bottle and opened it, but it was empty. This wasn't good, she knew that she needed her pills. She'd always taken them, her aunt told her that she needed them to stay the way she was. Leora was a little confused by it, but the way she felt know knew that this was bad.

She tried walking, but the pain in her head was too great. Then, she began to hear pounding. It grew louder and louder and louder. She couldn't take it anymore! Then, she looked over her shoulder and saw a large brown blob coming straight for her. Leora grew frantic and didn't know what to do. Then suddenly, someone grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

Sitting up, Leora shook her head and her eyes came back in to focus. The pounding had stopped, and she looked over at her rescuer. "What happened?" She asked Wolf. "I saw that idiot riding towards you with his horse! He didn't even see you, he was looking behind him the entire time! There are so many morons around here! So inconsiderate!" Leora got up and dusted herself off, then picked up her bag. "Thank you, sorry I got ahead of you guys. I didn't know where I was."

He walked with her back to Virginia and looked at her worriedly, "Are you alright? You don't look so good?" he asked. "I don't know to be quite honest. I've never felt like this before. I...I have a condition. I've always had to take medication as long as I remember. Well, I just ran out of it!" "Do you know what it was you were taking?" He asked. "No. My aunt said she couldn't tell me, just that it would protect me." She looked around at everything, she could hear so well; birds in the distance, warthogs walking around, and even a fox a mile away. "I think you should sit down."

Wolf took her over to Virginia and she sat down, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. "Who was that maniac on the horse? I saw him go by!" Virginia said. "I don't know, but it looked like he was coming from Wendell's castle." Wolf said. "I'll find us something to eat, the both of you stay put! It's dangerous out here!" He went off to find them some dinner.

"This is great Wolf! I haven't had pork in weeks!" Leora who felt much better was finishing the pork Wolf had made. He gorged down his portion as well. Virginia looked at them curiously and ate hers. "So, could you guys tell me about the eighth kingdom?" Both Virginia and Wolf looked at Leora stunned, "Why do you ask?" "The goblins were talking about it, and what I hear from you two is that you found me on the outside of it, that it's connected with this kingdom by land!"

"How did you hear us say that?" Virginia asked. "We were a good while behind you when we were talking." They looked at her curiously and Leora shrugged and said, "I just have good hearing, that's all." Virginia nodded, but Wolf eyed her suspiciously and asked, "You want to know the story of the eighth kingdom?" Leora's eyes widened and she nodded.

Wolf sighed and began, "You know the story of Sleeping Beauty don't you? Well, she ruled the Eighth Kingdom for many years with her husband, King Phillip.** It was once the greenest and most prosperous of all the Kingdoms. Then, long after the Sleeping Queen died, her granddaughter took the throne from her mother. Everything was grand until Molefescent, the evil fairy witch that was the enemy of Sleeping Beauty took control of the kingdom. Molefescent took over and is threatened by all kingdoms. Rumor has it that she took over and killed the entire royal family. The true heirs to the throne were never found, and she has covered this once beautiful land with an icy winter that never ends.**

**"Sleeping Beauties great-granddaughter and only heir to the throne is still missing. Molefescent turned the Sleeping Queen's castle into the Ice Palace. And, she had the famous Ice Mirror, which it is said is the true source of her power. Only a true heir to the Eighth Kingdom throne can destroy this mirror and her icy spell. However, no one believes that there even is a great-granddaughter of Sleeping Beauty. And, even if there was, no one could defeat Molefescent. The Ice mirror was once partially broken, and if a piece of this mirror were to enter your eye, your heart would grow ice cold! You would go into an eternal sleep, never to wake up. The Ice Palace is where Molefescent remains, as the dreaded Snow Queen."**

**Leora couldn't believe it, it was just like a fairytale story. But apparently, it was real. So, she asked him, "Why does no one think that there could still be an heir out there? Shouldn't the granddaughter of Sleeping Beauty had a daughter or son?" "From what I've been told, Rose, the previous Sleeping Queen, never married. It was rumored that she had a lover, but that would be impossible; no royalty has ever given birth outside of the family. Especially if they weren't married. If she had a child, no one would know about it. There isn't a great-granddaughter of Sleeping Beauty, it would just be too improbable; it would be a miracle if we did, though. But that's only a dream isn't it?"**

**Virginia held Wolf's hand and said, "I never knew about that. I never knew about that kingdom. Why didn't Wendell tell us? Isn't he going to do something about it?" "He can't," Wolf explained, "No one can. Molefescent is too powerful for anyone. The only one that ever has was the great King Phillip, and that was a long time ago, back when he was a prince. It would have to be someone that was blood-related. It's just how the story goes." Looking over the fire, Wolf saw that Leora wasn't there anymore. He stood up and went to find her. **

It didn't take him long however, she was sitting on the edge of a pond looking up at the almost full moon. "Hey." Wolf said as he sat down next to her. She didn't acknowledge him. So, he continued, "Are you alright? From the looks of things, you're still trying to take this all in." Leora finally looked over at him and said, "I'm just a little overwhelmed that's all. I'll be okay." He nodded and then put a hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry about you aunt. I know she meant a lot to you." "She did, but I know she wants be to be safe. Looks like I found the right people." He chuckled and looked up at the moon. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She told him. "It is." Wolf replied.

"Oh, by the way, congratulations on the baby! Must be only a couple weeks right? Virginia doesn't seem to far along yet!" Wolf smiled and answered, "Yeah, not that far. But I'm anxious though! So, when did Virginia tell you the good news?" Leora grinned at the moon, smoothed her hand through her long flowing hair and replied, "She didn't." Then, she stood up and left Wolf sitting at the pond. Strange things were happening.


	5. First Impressions Can Be Decieving

Hello fanfic readers! This should be a very interesting chapter, many things will be happening, so pay close attention to everything, and of course, R&R!

Freezing, the ice is everywhere. All I can see is the blue ice around me. And I'm just lying here, feeling like I'm slipping away, I'm falling away from the world. I can see my breath; it's the last breath...

Gasping, Leora sits up and grabs her chest. She's never been that cold before. She put a hand to her lips, they were ice cold. She didn't know what it was, or what she was dreaming about. She looked around her; Wolf and Virginia were still asleep on the other side of the bonfire which was now completely burnt out. The sun wasn't up yet, but Leora was fully awake. She got up and left the meadow where the other two slept to find water.

Leora stumbled across a berry bush near the river, and decided to pick some for her and the others. She had never seen that kind of berry before, but she had eaten one to make sure they tasted alright. They were delicious. So, she took a plastic bag out of her back pack, which she was given by Metilda holding some books she knew Leora would want a few days ago, and emptied it and began filling it with berries.

She breathed in the morning air and knew that today would be much better than the last two had. Dreaming to herself, she began to sing. Leora was a very shy girl when it came to singing, but, she was completely confident when she knew no one could hear her. So, she sang as she picked the blue berries deep in the emerald forest.

Sleeping not too far away, the young man suddenly opened his eyes, revealing their cerulean color. He rose from the ground and checked to see if his horse was still tied up. The chestnut steed was still there, so, he untied it and led it away from they're resting place. What had made him so intrigued to wake up from sleep was that he suddenly felt as though he was in a dream; for he had heard a heavenly voice.

Wolf yawned that morning and scratched his head. He leaned over to his love and stroked her light brown hair. She was fast asleep, and he didn't want to wake her for the world. So, he kissed her lightly on the lips and sat up, watching the sun rise over the misty mountains.

After she had finished picking the berries; Leora walked over to the river and knelt down next to it. She took a drink of water and felt refreshed. Never in a million years would she drink from a stream in the creeks of Central Park.

Standing up, she turned around to grab her berries, but was quite startled. "Oh!" She gasped, scared half to death from the stranger standing in front of her. She felt her heart skip a beat; not from the shock, but from her intruder. Leora had never seen a man as good looking as the one that stood before her now.

He looked about eighteen or ninteen years old, a little older than her. He stood at about 5'9, which was a great deal taller than her, being only 5'4. He had the darkest brown hair she had ever seen that was nicely cut only lightly coming over his eyebrows. He had a pale face, but a handsome smile with piercing royal blue eyes. From what she could tell he had a slim figure, but still very nice. He wore black shoes and pants that looked very expensive, and had a long-sleeve navy shirt that looked very worn out, then he had an old button down jacket hanging loosely over it. It was very odd, his bottom half of his attire was extremely tasteful and luxurious, but the top half seemed like it was pulled out of the back of a closet.

Even still, Leora had never seen a more handsome guy. She didn't know what to say, she felt very awkward and too shy to talk. But, when he cleared his throat, it was obvious she didn't need to. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!" Leora forced herself from dropping her mouth to the ground. He had a smooth British accent! All she could do was smile faintly and look down at the ground.

"I heard you, I was resting over near the riverbank when I heard you singing. Quite honestly, I've never heard anything that beautiful before!" Leora was in shock, and very surprised. The young man looked surprised too, it looked as though this was the first time he had ever spoken to a girl. Leora realized that Wolf and Virginia would be up by now, so she picked up the berries and told the man, "I'm sorry, I have to bring these to my friends!"

She started to leave, but then he called to her, "Wait! Listen, I've been on my own for over a day now, with no one to talk to. Do you think I could come with you and your friends? To wherever you're going. It's been quite dull on my own, I've never really been on my own before!" He laughed uncomfortably and Leora smiled at him. It was strange, seeing a nineteen year old who looked frightened to be on his own in the world. Leora really felt like this dimension was different.

Nodding, she said, "Alright. Bring whatever you have and come on." She began walking, and after a minute or two, she heard the young man curse and then come up to catch her. Looking down at his hands and finding nothing, she asked, "Don't you have any belongings?" He sighed to calm himself and said, "I did have a horse with some food. But it appears that my horse has run off! Never was mine anyway..." Giving him a confused look, Leora shrugged and kept walking back to the meadow.

Virginia woke up that morning to find that the sun had just rose over the sky. She stretched her arms and was greeted by Wolf. "Good morning my little lamb chop! How are you feeling?" She smiled and said, "I'm feeling better; and it's a good thing too, we have some ground to cover if we want to get to Wendell's today!" He smiled at her and kissed her sweetly. Then, he sniffed the air and immediately rose from the ground. Virginia got up as well and asked him, "What is it? Do you smell the goblins?" "No, but I do smell trouble!"

And over the hill trouble came. Virginia saw Leora walk up to them with a bagful of berries, and a friend. The two of them came up to Wolf and Virginia and Wolf wasted no time, "You!" He pushed the young man down to the ground without letting Leora introduce her friend. "Wolf?" Virginia exclaimed. "Stop! What are you doing? He's not gonna hurt us!" Leora explained to Wolf.

"Wrong missy! Wrong!" The young man dusted himself off and asked disgustedly, "Who is this fiend? Don't you have any decency?" But Wolf wouldn't let him talk anymore. He pointed a finger at the young man and told the girls, "This was the scum that almost ran over you with his horse yesterday! Listen buddy, I don't know who you are, but your riding skills and awareness on the road are careless! I don't want a clumsy guy like you around us! We are on an important journey and we don't want the likes of you to screw things up!"

Leora couldn't believe it. It was true. She couldn't see the rider, but heard the thumping of a horse coming near her the day before. If it hadn't been for Wolf, she'd be road kill. The man finally stood up and tried to explain to Leora, "What? I didn't see anyone! Listen miss, I am sorry if I acted a bit...uh..." "Stupid? Idiotic? Like an asshole? Well, it turns out you did! You know what? I'm glad you lost your horse, I'd have to say that it was smart for leaving a loathsome disgraceful piece of garbage like yourself! People like you aren't meant to ride!"

The British man couldn't believe what he had just heard. "That was the worst thing that anyone has ever said to me in my entire life! And it was a girl who said it!" Leora's eys widened. "Girl? A girl? Don't you know that girls have as much intelligence and strength as boys do?" "Intelligence? Strength? Miss, never have I ever met a girl that could measure up to my capabilities in brains and fighting...especially fighting. No girl could ever take me ou-" But before he could finish, Leora closed her left fist and swung it directly into his left eye.

He fell to the ground and whimpered as he held his face. Leora took a forceful breath and then said her final words to him, "You know, it was stupid of me to believe in you the first moment I laid eyes upon you. First impressions clearly show the mask of a person. It's not until you unveil the mask that you see the true identity of someone. And when I look at you cowering on the ground there, I see a joke."

She turned and picked up her berries and walked off. Virginia followed her not saying a word, just baffled at Leora's anger. Wolf took a look at the man and said, "It's a good thing we're going to see Prince Wendell, he'll take care of you and the scumbags in this kingdom like you before you can say Rumplestilskin!"

He walked away to catch up with Virginia and Leora, not thinking once about helping the feeble man off the ground. He lay there for a moment, but then finally realized what Wolf had said. He immediately got up and screamed, "Wait! Don't go to the castle!" But Wolf and the others ignored him. Well, they ignored him until he said, "The Ice Queen has taken over! No one there was left alive! Please!"

The three adventurers stopped in their tracks. They all slowly turned around and stared at the young man who looked as though he was in great despair. Leora looked deep into his open eye and read his mind. Then, she realized that there was no lie in his eye. One thing Leora was good at, was that she could tell when someone was lying or not.


	6. The Bitter Truth

This chapter I promise you is the best yet! One thing I like to do in most of my chapters is leave the reader hanging, wanting more. That will definitely be happening in this one! So, grab some popcorn and a Coca-Cola and read read read! And, of course review! Ha ha, you thought I forgot about the review, ha! I fooled you all! Enjoy!

Wendell's castle, one day ago...

"We're late!" Queen Cinderella stated firmly. "Wendell was expecting us an hour ago! Where is that boy?" She stood with her son, her grandson, and many servants outside her royal estate. Their carriage pulled up and her servants helped her inside. Her son followed, and her grandson looked away from the carriage behind him, towards the gardens.

Just then, a handsome young man riding a white horse at a full gallop rode steadfast towards the carriage. He halted right before the man and was greeted by many servants. "Damien! You careless boy! We've been searching for you for an hour! You've made us late for the meeting at Wendell's! What have you got to say for yourself?"

The young man looked confidently into the gentleman's eyes and stated, "I was enjoying the countryside! And I don't regret going, not even if King Cole was running around the castle grounds naked!" The man turned red in the face and scorned the cocky boy, "If you keep this attitude up, then you can forget becoming the King of the First Kingdom!"

Smiling, the boy said, "That doesn't matter! I have everything that I want! Royalty fills my blood, and no one can take that away from me!" The man grew almost to a dark purple and yelled, "You turn into a gentleman this instant or I'll throw you into the Disenchanted Forest and leave you for the wolves! And that's a promise!" Sighing, Damien replied, "Alright, Father! Don't need to get pushy!" The young prince stepped up and into the carriage and his father followed. Then at the crack of the horseman's whip, they were off.

In the carriage, the Queen sat next to her son, and her grandson and great-grandson were across from her. Feeling the tension, she spoke to the youngest, "Damien, I know that it's hard to embrace the decision I've made. But, getting much older, I realize that I need to step down from the throne. Your grandfather, father, and I have decided that you are the most suitable to become King. You will be turning twenty in ten months, you're the smartest and wittiest young man I've ever known. It's very important that you are to take over my throne." Damien looked out the window, pondering. Cinderella sighed and told the other two, "He'll be ready. He just needs some inspiration."

The older men looked at her dumbfounded, "And what exactly would that inspiration be?" The Queen thought a moment, then mumbled, "I don't know."

"Well, how do I look?" Wendell was in his room looking into a mirror. His servants were just finishing polishing his shoes when he turned to ask his best man's opinion. He waited patiently as his friend thought for a moment.

Looking at the King with a grin, Tony said, "You look like a King to me!" They laughed and walked out of the room together. "Antony, I just want you to know that no matter what happens today, I will still be ready to make the bouncing castle!" "Then why are we having all the kingdom's rulers come and have me talk about it? Why bother bringing them over if we're still going through with the project?"

"Because," The king explained, "If they like what they hear from you, then it's likely they will want you to build bouncing castles for them as well. You can make quite a bundle with this circle!" Grinning, Tony thought about all the money he was about to make. He suddenly was very excited about this meeting. "And who exactly did you invite again?" "All of the kingdoms rulers are invited!" Tony laughed greedily as they entered the meeting room. It was very full, with every ruler from each kingdom present. "Is everyone here? It looks like we can begin!" Wendell stated. But, one of his advisors came up and said, "Sir, we're still waiting on-" But right before the man said who, the announcer spoke from downstairs, "Queen Cinderella has arrived!"

The carriage pulled up to the castle, and Wendell's servants came out to let their guests out. The Queen was first, and after the son and grandson, came Damien. However, he wasn't very eager to go inside. He knew that this was his first step of becoming a king; his great-grandmother would announce it to everyone upstairs, and then he would be stuck. He needed a way out, he needed-

"That horse!" Damien exclaimed. He went over to one of the horses attached to the carriage and saw that one of it's back legs was bleeding. It was cut around the ankle. His father, grandfather and great-grandmother had already entered the castle with their escorts. The escort that waited for Damien said, "Your highness, your horseman can take care of that. Come with me please." But the young man refused, "No, I am an expert at horses! Go inside with the others, tell them to start the meeting. Now!" The escort when in, somewhat scared on the young prince.

Going around to the back, he unhooked the horse from the others. His horseman said, "Sir, I'm needed inside. Please come in, I don't want to leave you unattended!" "No, thank you Bruce! I can manage on my own! It's alright, I know what I'm doing!" His horseman sighed and went inside. Then, he got to work on the horse.

"There you go! Good as new!" Damien finished with the horse's ankle, and then realized that he was alone. Everyone was inside the castle. So, putting the hurt horse in the barn, he looked around for a faster one. Then, he noticed a brown horse. It looked friendly, and it looked fast. So, he took it out from its box and saddled it up. As he was getting ready to get on, he heard a scream. But it wasn't just any scream, it was Cinderella's!

He led his horse to the edge of the barn, peeping out to see what was happening. He looked up into a mirror in the castle and saw the room turn to ice. People were screaming everywhere. Then, he heard a booming voice, "I am Molefescent, the Ice Queen of the Eighth Kingdom! And soon, I will rule all of the kingdoms! No one can stop me now!"

Damien watched in terror as people were running from left to right, screaming. Then, he saw his father run out to the open patio on the third floor. He was followed by the most horrid creature he had ever laid eyes on. Then, with the wave of a hand, the creature known as Molefescent turned his father to ice stone.

He was petrified; he didn't know what to do. Thinking of only one thing, Damien jumped onto his horse and galloped out the back way of the barn, away from the castle. He made his way up and over a hill, and then looked back at the ice castle one last time. The kingdoms as he knew it were over. There was no hope left, not for any of the kingdoms.

After he had finished telling his story, the other three sat in silence around the fire. Virginia's eyes were wide, thinking of Wendell and her father, scared of who else was frozen. And Wolf was angry, trying to stay cool, but couldn't help but want to rip the witch's throat out. Then, there was Leora. As much as she hated this guy, she couldn't help but listen. This world that she was now in was coming to ruin because of some psycho lady. But somehow, this sounded familiar.

Then, Wolf gasped, "I still can't believe this! You're...you're him! You're the next King of the First Kingdom! I've heard great things about you-" "Wolf, stop! We have to focus on this! These people are in trouble! This psycho bitch is taking over! Why don't we do something? We can't just sit here!" Leora exclaimed.

The young prince, who felt that this girl had interrupted a great compliment Wolf was giving him, asked her, "What are you planning on doing about it? You're just a silly girl! You can't defeat this witch!" Leora stood up and walked around the fire to him. "Listen buddy, I'd rather be a silly girl trying to help save these lives than a coward who's too spoiled to rule a country! Too spoiled to even listen to his father, and to help him when he was dying!" The prince protested, "There was nothing I could do! Molefescent would've killed me! I'd rather live than die! You should be in a madhouse!"

Leora got into his face, "Hey princy, I swelled up one of your eyes, want me to do the same for the other? I'd be glad to!" "Guys! Guys! Hold it!" Virginia said. "It's alright, I have a plan that just might work!" Leora and Damien looked at each other crossly, and slowly sat down on the log.

"Well, remember the story of Molefescent? And how she had that magic mirror that could kill you with just a piece of it? We can use that, fire with fire, it could work!" Wolf agreed, "Yes! Brilliant thinking! She has the mirror at her ice palace! It's in the Eighth Kingdom, and we're not far from there! It would be a few days journey! A week at most! We can sneak in and take the mirror, and kill her with it!" The prince and Leora looked at him worriedly, "It's worth a shot! What do we have to lose?" Wolf stated. Leora agreed, and Virginia did too. But Damien protested, "Our lives! That's what we've got to lose! And I know that I-"

"You you you you you! That's all you ever think about isn't it? Well listen up your royal pain in the ass! _You_ are going to help us! As much as I don't like to admit it, you're smart, at least from what I've heard! We'll need all the help we can get! So, you're in, whether you like it or not!" "FINE!" He yelled. "FINE!" Leora returned. She jumped up when she screamed and stomped off. Virginia was about to get up to follow her, but Wolf told her, "She needs to cool off, I wouldn't go if I were you. Again, nice going your highness!" Damien turned his nose up to Wolf and took off his coat. He got on the ground and started to drift off into sleep.

Virginia did the same. But Wolf couldn't. He didn't know what it was, but something about Leora made him very protective of her. He felt she was more valuable than the others thought. He knew Molefescent wanted her, must what he couldn't figure out was, why?

Grunting annoyingly as she walked away from the fire, Leora thought about the prince. 'How could I think he was handsome? He's such a jerk! He's just like the guys in New York! God, they're all the same! If I could just have a magic key that could open the door to that one guy that was perfect-' she stopped. Magic key. That's right! The key her Aunt had left her! She bent over and lifted up her left pant leg. Reaching inside of her shoe, she felt the key.

Leora pulled it out and looked at it. She knew it would fit her locket, and she knew that this was the perfect moment to do it. Leora picked up the golden circle locket on her chest that had the initial 'L' on it. She put the key in, turned it, and then, there was a silver flash.

Blinded by the light, Leora struggled to see what was happening. As far as she could tell, she was still in the forest. The silver light calmed to a dim, and she could see everything now. Suddenly, she gasped. There, standing in front of her, was her Aunt Connie. She was so bright, she looked like an angel. "Connie!" She gasped and ran towards her. She gave her aunt a big hug. Chuckling, her aunt said, "It's alright. I'm fine my dear! Sit down, I have much to tell you."

She did, and her aunt sat down next to her on the log. "Leora, I want you to know, that I am dead. What you see now isn't real, I'll disappear once I've told you what I need to." Just then, Leora noticed that her dear aunt had something strange sticking out of her back. Her eyes widened, and Leora asked, "Aunt Connie, why do you have wings growing out of your back?" Her aunt corrected her, "No Leora, my name isn't really Connie. I am Constance, your fairy godmother." Her deep greens eyes seemed to pop out of her eye sockets, Leora felt like she was dreaming.


	7. Leora's Past

Hey fanfic readers! Just reminding you guys to R&R! So don't be shy! This chapter below is a real treat for all of you who just love twists! I know I'm a big fan! Anyways, there's a lot about Leora's past that we don't know, and neither does she! Read to find out!!!fairytale dreamer

Leora looked at her aunt, not sure what to say. Here, in this dark forest in some weird dimension she sat on a log, with this plump old woman who was wearing a white dress with lavender wings springing out from her back! Conjuring up what she should say, all Leora could blurt out was, "This is a joke! You're joking right?"

Her aunt, or also known as Constance, shook her head, "I know it's hard to grasp dear, but there are many things happening. You have to learn about your real past and your parents. I would have revealed this to you on your eighteenth birthday, but, my plans turned out to have flopped as it appears!"

"Waitâwhat? My parents? I thought they died in a car crash when I was only a baby?" Leora was slowly becoming panicked, she didn't know what to do. "It's alright Leora, I'll explain everything. All I ask of you is to pay attention to what I say; this will bring you closer to your destiny." Leora's eyebrows rose, destiny? She sat there, eyes wide; she wanted to know what was going on. Her fairy godmother took Leora's hands in her; took a deep breath, and looked into her niece's eyes.

"Your mother was not Alice Corlett, she was Harmony Cranston, granddaughter of Sleeping Beauty, or also known as the Sleeping Queen. She about to become the Queen of the Eighth Kingdom; and everyone was busy readying for the crowning. However, your mother wasn't. This was because, she feel in love. The man whom she felt deeply for was not known to many, as a matter of fact, I was the only person she ever told before anyone else. She would always speak of him, how he was so wonderful to her, and how they spent so much time together.

"Then, one day, Harmony summoned me to her chambers. She told me she was going to have a baby. She was very excited, however, I wasn't. She wasn't married, and the man she loved hadn't proposed to her yet. I explained to her how this would be damaging to the royal family, and that he must marry you to become a royal. So, she went off to talk with her love. But, before she told him anything, he told her about himself. He wasn't just a humble gentleman, but a werewolf, only half human. But Harmony didn't care, she understood and accepted him anyway.

"That is when things grew worse. Her beloved wouldn't propose, and she didn't know why. It was three days before the crowning ceremony, and Harmony grew very worried. She hadn't seen her werewolf for weeks. Then, a week before the ceremony, Harmony was walking in the lush gardens near her castle. There her wolf met her. She was full of joy when she saw him, but soon, the happiness faded. He told her something that never left her mind for the rest of her life.

"He told her that he did love her, but he was already committed to someone else. He was married, actually. And on top of everything else, he had children. Most were almost fully grown! Harmony couldn't bear it; she ran away from him and cried all the way to the castle. She wouldn't eat for several days; she stayed in her room for most of the day. The crowning went on as scheduled. She accepted the duties of Queen, but made one new rule. 'From this day forth, no man or woman who accepts the thrown needs to be married. I will rule alone!' Everyone in the kingdom was shocked, no one could believe it. Then, things became more difficult.

"Over the next few months, things went smoothly for the Queen. That was until she found out about the burning of two wolves. They were accused of murdering an innocent girl in a small town in the kingdom, and were burned at the stake. The man that was burned was Harmony's lover, and he died along with his wife. She became very upset, not talking for the longest time. That was until, she bore you. Even though it was accustom to be married when having children, people couldn't help but love you with your grace and beauty. Your mother was the happiest she had ever been. And for a little while, things were perfect.

"But then, Molefescent rose again; after 150 years, she came back to her full strength. She came to the Eighth Kingdom and started to freeze everything over. Harmony was scared, not for herself, but for you. So, she sent me to take you away from the kingdom, to a place no one could find you. And when you were old enough, you would return to your kingdom and defeat the Ice Queen Molefescent. So, I took you far and away from the kingdom, disguised as a beggar woman. I took you all the way to the sea; I was informed by some of the elves from the Seventh Kingdom that there was a magic mirror that could transport people out of the ninth kingdoms. So, I took you there, and found the mirror at the bottom of the ocean. So, with my powers, I plunged into the water with you, covering us with one of my many spells.

"The mirror was down very deep in the cold ocean. Studying it for a minute, I found the circle that would open it. Immediately, a bright town, or a city as you know, appeared. I went inside the mirror and landed in a park. I held you tightly in my arms as I turned and saw the mirror behind us. With my wand, I closed the mirror from the other side, so that no one could follow our trail. And no one did, not for seventeen years; Molescefent found out where we had gone, and sent her goblins to find you. So, giving up my powers, I raised you in New York, trying to have you blend in as much as possible. Then, when you were five, I noticed you were beginning to grow a tail. So, I gave you some medicine that put you right to sleep, and used my magic to remove the tail. It won't grow back, not even now.

"You know the pills I gave you? That was something I made so that you wouldn't change on full moons. It worked very well, and I'm glad I left some for you on the counter so you could stay the same," Leora breathed in deep, not daring to tell her aunt she didn't take the pills. "So, that's your past Leora. This is who you are." "And what would that be? A werewolf princess? Oh, what a combination that is! I'll be sure to go down in history as the hairiest princess of them all!" Leora exclaimed.

"Now my dear, this is who you are. You can't change that. Know, I have to leave you now, so stay with the three you're with, they can help you fulfill your destiny." Fairy Constance stood and took out her wand, waving it back and forth. Getting up, Leora protested, "Wait! Don't go!" "I have to darling, I belong with the spirits in the forest now. Don't worry, you'll be just fine with those three!" "How do you know?" Leora asked, looking curiously at her fairy godmother.

"Because my child," Constance said. "You have family with you, and they will protect you no matter what." "Wait, no I don't. They're just our neighbors, and that prince, ugh, he's just a jerk!" Leora shivered at the thought of Damien. "You're wrong about one thing, that's not your neighbor Leora. Wolf is your half-brother. His father was in love with your mother, Harmony. He is the reason you are alive."

Leora's jaw dropped. She couldn't beâWolf? No, it wasn't possible! Growing bright, her aunt said, "Goodbye for now my child, I'll be watching over you. Oh, and Wolf, you can come out of the bushes now, I think I've said everything that needs to be said! Goodbye!" And in a flash, Aunt Connie, or Fairy Constance, vanished. Leora turned around and saw Wolf come out of the dark.

He couldn't stop staring at her, apparently this was news to him too. Leora walked over to him, and he did to her. They stared at each other for the longest time. The cool night breeze swept over them, and they could hear the wind. Neither of them spoke; the forest was silent.


	8. The Only Family They Have

R&R people, tell me what you think! I'm anxious to know what's on your mind about my fanfic! Here's eight!

Everything was rushing through Leora's mind. She found out her parent's true identity, that her aunt was really her fairy godmother, she was a princess, and, on top of everything, she was a werewolf AND Wolf's half-sister. She took a deep breath, then they both looked into each other's eyes and said, "Cripes."

Having nothing else to say, Leora went back to the log and sat down again, burying her face in her hands. Wolf came over and sat next to her, in shock himself. He tried to think of something to say, but all that came out was, "Cripes!" And he buried his face in his hands also.

"It's not fair," Leora said in but a whisper. "Why couldn't she have told me this a long time ago? Why now? Why when there's so much at stake? Up until two minutes ago, I thought I had no actual family left; that no one I was related to was alive! But here you are! And you had no clue, not one clue that your father was having an affair all those years ago, did you?" She looked at him for his answer, and he looked around puzzled, and said, "Well, I knew my parents weren't very close. But I never really spent very much time with them once I was your age! I left my brothers and sisters after they were killed."

"That's right, you had siblings! What were they like? Do you still keep in touch with them?" Leora desperately wanted to know more, more about her heritage. "Not exactly. Before the burning, we'd go out at night when it was a full moon, and we'd....well, we acted like animals! But I haven't heard from any of them once we went our separate ways."

Leora sighed in disappointment. Then, Wolf realized something and asked her, "Do you still have the pills? The magic pills that your godmother gave you? There's going to be a full moon tomorrow night!" Leora knew she didn't, but she didn't dare tell Wolf. She didn't want him to worry about her, she didn't want to think about it. So, she simply said, "Yes, I have one left in my bag." Wolf sighed, "Good! Take it tomorrow, I don't want you to experience it!" "Why? What's so horrible about it?"

Wolf leaned in and told her, "Leora, werewolves are very dangerous. Besides Wendell's kingdom, they aren't well-liked at all. When it's a full moon, we change, we turn into something we're not. It's like everything is tempting you, and all you can think of is eating! And, it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it's meat! So everyone is at risk!"

"But what about you? What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. The sun will be rising in a couple of hours, and when it does, we'll wake the others and make our way to the border line between the Fourth and Eighth Kingdoms. If I'm right, there's a small deserted prison near there, just on the edge of this kingdom. Virginia can lock me up for the night. Now, are you sure you have that pill? Because if you don't, that means that only one of us can stay in the cell. There's only one cell and we can't both be in the same one, we'll tear each other apart! It's important Leora, do you have that pill?"

She was scared all the way through her bones. Feeling a chill, Leora muttered, "I have it." "Good. Then everything will go according to my plan! Hopefully, the cage can hold me, cause if it doesn't, I don't know what I might do." Wolf tried not to think about the past, not think about his parents. He was so ashamed of them, killing that innocent girl. And besides that, his father had gone and had an affair with a royal. Leora had a tough life, never truly knowing who she was. Not until now, this night, she knew everything. She knew about all the horrible things that were attached to her family.

And that's all she could think about, her family. Leora finally understood why people said what they did, 'All families are screwed up.' She didn't want it to be true, but she had to accept it. Never in her life had she felt so cold, so alone and unwanted. Wolf watched her, he watched her think, wondering what would happen tomorrow. So, trying to be comforting, he lifted her chin up with his hand and studied her face.

Leora didn't know what to say, but only stared. Then, she heard him gasp. He told her, "I remember once I was in the eighth kingdom, before it was taken by the Ice Queen. I was in a small town near the castle, and found a crowd in the center of the town drawn by something. It was Queen Harmony, she was giving a speech to the townsfolk. As I watched her, I noticed how flawless she was, how she was as beautiful as Sleeping Beauty herself. You have the same red rose lips, the same smile, the same beauty and grace that your mother had. However, there is something that you don't have from her."

She looked intently at him and asked, "What?" "You have your father's eyes. Those forest green eyes that just jump out at you!" Leora didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. But then, Wolf took his hand off her chin, and said, "I have his eyes too." He smiled faintly, then turned to watch the trees move in the breeze. The forest suddenly felt alive, crickets could be heard near the river, and a fox was stalking in the distance. Leora suddenly felt at ease, she had so much to learn about herself, but she knew she had the right person to show her that.

Feeling a chill, Leora folded her coat to cover her, but she was still cold. She rubbed her hands together and tried to stay warm, but nothing worked. Then suddenly, she felt a strong arm wrap around her upper arm. She looked up into Wolf's face, and he was looking down at her. She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them really had their family to count on, not until now. Somehow, they knew that they needed each other.


	9. Blood Under a Full Moon

Well, I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for a while now! It's been creeping in my mind for months, planning what I'd write. I just hope this sounds good! Please R&R fanfic readers!!!

That early morning, Virginia was enjoying her dreams. She felt warm and relaxed, everything was so peaceful and calm. Until suddenly, a voice boomed, "RISE AND SHINE! It's another be-u-tiful day in the 4th Kingdom! Best that we get going, don't wanna be late!" She got up slowly, yawned, and asked Wolf, "Late? Late for what? Killing an evil queen and saving the 9 kingdoms?"

He looked at her nodding his head hyperactively. She thought about her question, then agreed, "That _is_ something to hurry about isn't it? Okay, okay, I'm good!" She picked up her blue jacket, and Wolf helped her put it on.

Damien, the young prince, was still sleeping on the ground. He had ignored Wolf's wake up call and kept sleeping. And then, he suddenly felt a rush of icy water slash over his face. He grumbled angrily as he opened his eyes and stood up, looking for the culprit who had gotten him wet. Then, he saw _her_ standing there, holding an empty cup in her hand. She smiled and said, "Wakey wakey prince charming! We've got a BIG day ahead of us!" He proceeded towards her, and pointed a finger into her face, saying, "Don't ever do that again!"

"Or what? You'll let me hit you again? Don't worry, I'll be looking forward to that!" She grinned at him and turned around, whipping her hair into his face and walked off. Damien narrowed his eyes at Leora, never in his life had he met such a stubborn girl!

That morning was very beautiful indeed; birds were chirping, the dew made the grass and flowers sparkle, and the sun was shining brightly down on our heroes as they headed up a hilly mountain. Leora led the group onward, and Damien was just a little behind her, then Wolf and Virginia brought up the rear, staying further behind the others. This was because of two reasons. First, they were discussing Wolf's conversation with Leora the night before. The second, well, Wolf and Virginia were tired of hearing the two kids bicker back and forth.

"It was incredible. I've never had that much to talk about to another wolf before! I mean, I gave her advice, and she gave me advice-" "Wait, how could Leora give you advice if she only just discovered she was a wolf?" Virginia asked him. Wolf smiled and corrected her, "Not about that! About you! She gave me advice about keeping my cool, ya know, trying to act smooth!"

Virginia stopped and grinned at him, "Smooth huh?" "Yes. Very smooth. The creamiest!" She ran her fingers along his face and moved closer to Wolf. She leaned over and whispered in his hear, "How smooth do you feel now?" His eyes flickered and he growled playfully saying, "Ooooooooooooooooh, you get me so riled up! Do you know that?" She smiled and asked him, "Do you want play hide and seek with me?" Wolf gasped and immediately said, "Yes! Yes I do!" They both grinned at each other, and then Wolf took her hand and led her off the path. But suddenly, she stopped him, "Wait! We can't!" "OH, why not?" She pointed far ahead of him and said, "Leora and Damien, we don't want them to get lost. We have to stay with them."

Wolf whimpered and said gloomily, "Huff puff! That's a downer...wait! We can still go! Last night I talked to Leora about where the castle is, and shes a wolf, she can find her way! And we can linger around because my scent is excellent and I can find that pair of sausages in no time!" Virginia looked at the unnoticing kids ahead, then at the eager wolf, then back at the others. Sighing, she said, "All right! You've convinced me!" Wolf laughed in victory and took his fiancée's hand and they ran off into the deep of the forest; the opposite direction in which the prince and Leora were heading.

However, the young couple didn't seem to notice much, being deep in conversation about, "The leaders of the nine kingdoms are royals; they are the brightest and smartest of any one else! That's why they make the rules and are the only people worth having a say in matters of any kind!" "Well, that's not how it is where I'm from!" Leora said as her comeback. "Oh really? Then tell me, who's been in control of the decisions? Who decides what should be done in your kingdom?"

"Everyone!" She exclaimed. Damien shook his head saying, "Preposterous!" "Not at all! Our form of government is a democracy, and if you've studied law, then you know that _that_ means things are decided by everyone, so nobody is put down for their own beliefs or opinions!" They went on for what seems an eternity about this, and even excelled in other topics, but it all dealt with running the kingdoms.

It was close to midday when Leora stopped walking, "I need to stop! I've been walking and debating for so long, I need a drink!" "But what about our dis-" "The discussion is over prince! I've made my point, and you've made yours! So lets just leave it at that!" She walked over to a nearby creek and took out the cup from her back pack and had a swig of water. She took a deep breath of relief and muttered, "I needed that!"

Damien sat on a rock downstream a little, and watched Leora rest. 'Never have I met such an opinionated girl before! No girl has ever dared to judge me or the way I plan to rule! At least, IF I rule. Still, I can't stand her! She's so demanding, so dramatic! What a shame, she's quite stunning in appearance. And that voice, I've never heard anything like it!' He thought of this as he watched her sit down and take out a brush. She combed her long, golden hair. Damien couldn't help but watch her smooth her hands through the wavy hair, flowing all the way to her waist. 'Now that is beauty!' He thought. 'Wait a minute! How can I say this? She's intolerable, stubborn! No, I will push these things out of my mind!' However, that didn't last very long. Just a moment later, Leora started singing softly to herself.

"That was great!" Wolf exclaimed as he bounced up and down joyfully. He and Virginia were once again walking on the path, yet they were much more exhausted, but far more giddy. Virginia smiled at him and then noticed something up ahead. "Wolf! Look!" She pointed and Wolf looked ahead. It was the small, abandoned prison house he had told her about. "We can lock you up there for the day!" She started walking over there, but Wolf stopped her, "No Virginia, I feel fine-AHH!" He bent over and held his stomach. "Oh no! Cramps!" He moaned in pain as Virginia led him towards the small cottage.

Locking him inside the cell, she made sure he had enough blankets and some water. "Virginia, if I don't have something to eat, I think I might go crazy! Please bring me something!" "Okay, I'll go out in a minute and see what I can find! Wait! What about Leora? She's out in the forest with Damien!" "Oh don't worry, she has her aunt's magic pills, she told me. I bet you she doesn't feel a-OHHHHHHH!" He groaned and moaned in agony. This by far was the worst full moon ever.

It was growing dark, as Damien watched the sun set. Taking off his worn out coat, he said to Leora, "Are you sure Virginia and Wolf will find us? Maybe something happened to them that we don't know about." "They're fine," Leora snapped. She put her book bag down and looked back up at him, "I know it. Plus, Wolf's a werewolf, he can track us down from miles away!" "Ugh, wolves! Are you sure we can trust him? I mean, where I live, they aren't too loyal and honest!" "What? You have something against wolves? Listen buddy, I'd rather be locked in a cage with ten wolves with meat all over me than stuck out in the wilderness with you!"

Very offended, Damien exclaimed, "Well...so would I! Why don't you made yourself useful and get some firewood!" Leora looked disgustingly at the prince, "Firewood? Firewood? You want me to get some firewood?" He got close to her face and said, "Yes, I do. Now, I'm the prince here, so you do what I say! I'm the eldest of the two, so I have the authority!" "Oh-ho-ho! So high and mighty aren't we? If I was under your rule, I would overthrow you the very first day of your reign! Get your own firewood!" She turned and started to leave the young man. "Where are you going?" "Away from you! You're driving me insane!" She yelled, disappearing into the darkness.

The prince let out a deep breath and sat down on the ground. He made his coat comfortable and laid back on it. 'Is it just me or was she acting extra snooty?' He pondered as he looked up at the bright full moon in the sky.

"What an idiot!" Leora yelled into the night. "I can't stand him always ordering me around! I wish I could just rip his throat out!" She stomped onward into the night. But then suddenly, she felt great pain in her lower stomach. "Ah! Cramps! Cramps?" She wondered why she was in such great pain. But then, she looked up at the sky and cursed. It was a full moon, and she didn't have her medicine. Yes, she had lied to both her aunt and Wolf, but she didn't want them to worry about her, she thought she could handle her problem on her own. But through the feeling of pain, she realized she couldn't.

Everything was becoming hazy, she suddenly felt very hot and anxious. "What should I do? I'm scorching, and...I'm craving lamb! No, I'm craving everything! I'm so...so...hungry." She growled. Seeing the moon above, she suddenly felt an urge to howl. And she did. Suddenly, she felt her body changing. Blood was rushing through her veins, and her teeth were bothering her terribly. Then, she opened her mouth, wide, and she grew fangs. Her eyes went red, and Leora lost control of herself completely. She needed to kill.

He ran through the forest, searching high and low for her. He knew that girl was out there, and he was going to find her. He ran further and further into the dark forest, knowing that he'd find her. Then, he heard rustling in a bush nearby. He stopped in his tracks, looking around. The rustling had stopped, and all was silent. His eyes narrowed, suspecting someone was there.

Then in an instant, he felt something jump down on top of him from out of the trees. He struggled to get the creature off, but it wrestled him to the ground. The monster pinned him to the ground, growling at him. He tried and tried to overpower it, but the creature was too strong. Then, through the pale moonlight, he saw it's face. It was her! But, just as he realized it, she opened her mouth wide, revealing fangs and dug them deep into his neck. He screamed, but no one was around to hear him. Blood spilled profusely as she tore him apart. Then, the screaming stopped, and his hands stopped moving. His lifeless body laid on the ground as Leora fed on his flesh.


	10. Losing What You Never Had

Greetings to all my fanfic readers! I come to you with great thanks for your support of my story, for I've worked long and hard to make it such a success! Lol, seriously though, I appreciate you peeps reviewing, it rocks my world! Anyways, here's chapter ten!

It was close to 12 o'clock that morning, and the sun beamed down through the leaves of the trees in the thick forest. Everything was calm and quiet, which seemed eerie. In a large meadow of ferns, the grass grew a foot out of the ground. Face down, fast asleep in the midst of the shrubs, was Leora.

A raven squawked in the distance, and suddenly Leora's head jerked up from the ground. She realized what had awoken her, and relaxed a little. She felt exhausted, not remembering what had happened at all the previous night. She wiped the dirt from the ground off of her face and stood up, brushing herself off.

She moaned in pain, suddenly having a rush of blood to her head, making her head pound. Also, she felt very sick to her stomach, like she had eaten something she shouldn't have, and too much of it too! She touched her hair and realized that the bun had fallen out and left her hair a total mess. But she didn't care, her head wouldn't stop pounding, it hurt terribly!

Leora placed her hands on her face, shutting her eyes. Everything was so bright, all she wanted was to go back to sleep for a hundred years, at least. She finally embraced the sunlight, bringing her hands from her face. But in the middle of this action, she froze. Leora stood there, somewhere in the wilderness, looking down at her hands. Her bloody hands. She was struck with horror, she had no clue how that had happened.

Without thinking, she ran from the meadow and made her way towards the sound of water. Finding a pond, she ran foot-deep into it and crouched down and began washing the blood off. It was red, the darkest of red, redder than her aunt's blood was. She couldn't believe it, she didn't want to. But then, after the ripples in the water ceased, something shocked her even more. She saw the same crimson red blood stained onto her face, right around her rose lips. She screamed into the forest.

In one gigantic flash, she remembered. The night before, she changed, changed into the monster was truly was. She had found someone who was following her, and ripped their insides open, she could still taste the blood from his body. She remembered sinking her teeth into his neck, oh, how she remembered his screams! Wait! Him, she remembered _his_ screams. "Oh my God! Damien!" She knew it, she knew it was him she had killed. They were the only two out there, Wolf and Virginia were miles away. She killed him. 'Murderer' a voice inside her head said. "NOO!!!" She shrieked. She didn't want to believe it, she didn't want to except it. But still it was true, she murdered Prince Damien.

Stopping in his tracks, Wolf swore he heard a noise. Virginia turned around and looked at him, "What is it?" But he disregarded it, "Nothing. It's nothing. Let's keep going, we have to catch up to them. They're just a few miles away, I can feel it." She agreed and they kept moving. "Wolf, I just want you to know how proud I am of you." He looked at his beloved curiously and asked, "What for?" "Well, last night. Even though things did get a little crazy, you still were a lot better than last time. And, you even stayed in the cage! I thought you'd have been able to bust out!"

"Believe me, it WAS hard! But, that's over now my creamy succulent Virginia!" He smiled at her, and she returned it. All of a sudden, they heard a rather unusual noise. They turned around when they heard the sound of a horse neighing. And trotting up to them came Prince Damien's horse. Apparently it had been following them the entire time.

"Goodness me! It's Prince's horse!" Wolf ran over to it and took the reins. He led the horse to Virginia and she stroked it. They looked at each other, than at the horse, and finally, they decided. Wolf helped Virginia up onto the saddle, then he got on after. Taking the reins, he began to move the horse along, but not very fast.

"This is great! Now we don't have to walk all the way!" Virginia exclaimed grabbing Wolf's waist. Wolf grinned and kept riding along. But suddenly, he smelt something that wasn't very good. Kicking the horse, he growled and they went from a trot to a full out gallop. Virginia held onto him tighter and yelled, "What are you doing? Why are you going so fast?"

But he wouldn't acknowledge her, he focused on the trail. They went on for about a mile, then, he suddenly stopped the horse. He jumped off and ran into the woods. Confused, Virginia jumped off and tied the horse up, then went after him. She looked around for him, but didn't see him anywhere. She started to run and didn't stop until she saw Wolf under a large tree. She went up to him and tried to yell without her breath, "What...was...that all about!?!" But he didn't say a word; all he did was stare. Virginia didn't understand until she looked about five feet in front of her. She gasped and fell into Wolf's arms, not bearing to look any longer. She asked him through his shirt, "What did that to him?"

Taking Virginia's sweet face from his coat, he looked into her deep blue eyes and told her, "It was Leora. She killed him. She only ate some of him though, I'm sure he got sick from his blood." They looked at the goblin's gruesome body, and Wolf finished, "Goblins aren't the best food source, their blood is too thick, it'd make anyone sick." Virginia looked at him, "I thought you said she had pills that would keep her from doing something like this, keep her human, like she's always been!"

Wolf took her by the hand and led her back to the horse, "She must've run out. She lied probably because she was scared, she didn't want to be different, be recognized as a monster. Trust me, I know what she's feeling right now." They got back on the horse and kept riding.

'Oh God, how could I? Damien! How could I eat him?' Leora walked through the forest in a panic, she felt like she was mad. She folded her arms and looked down at the ground as she went. All she could think of was him, killing him, eating him! She was now officially a cannibal, just like Hannibal Lector! She murmured things to herself as she went along, not realizing that someone had spotted her.

All of a sudden, Leora felt someone grab her arm. She turned around and as a reflex, she punched her stalker in the stomach and started to run. However, she stopped when she heard a familiar voice, "What'd you do that for?" Leora turned around slowly, as though she was feeling more and more insane. But she wasn't.

There he was, Damien, alive, well, for the most part. He was bent over holding his stomach from the punch. Finally, he caught his breath, coughed, and stood upright. "I've been looking for you for hours! Where did you go last night?" He walked up to her and she looked at him in disbelief. He picked a twig out of her hair and threw it onto the ground. "You don't look too good! I guess that's just a famous look where your from huh? What bizarre styles your culture has! I find it ghastly!" Leora was still trying to accept that he was real, and not a figment of her imagination.

He laughed at her, but, slowly stopped. She looked very pale, and very sick. It seemed as though she hadn't gotten much sleep, and he had never seen her look so fragile. Cutting the stuck-up act, he looked into her eyes, "Are you alright? Leo-" But before he could finish, Leora did something she had never done before.

She leaned in close to Damien, studying his face. He looked at her in awe, completely flabbergasted. She reached out and placed her soft hand gently onto his face. Then, she put her other there also. She felt his skin and gazed at him, finally realizing that he was real, that he was alive. She smiled in relief, and somehow, Damien smiled back. He tried to speak, but stuttered at first, "I-I brought your bag along with me, I didn't know if you'd come back." She looked up at him and said, "Thank you." Realizing how vulnerable she was, Damien told her, "I'll hold onto it for now. Here, we should get you some water, to get your strength back." Leora nodded and Damien led her towards a rushing river nearby.

Leora sat down on a rock and watched the fast-paced water fly by. Damien took the cup from her bag and went to a softer part of the stream and filled it with water. He soon returned and handed her the drink. She took it, and began to drink. He bent down next to her and watched her, feeling very worried about her. He didn't know what happened the night before, but from what she looked like, it wasn't good.

Right before he spoke, they heard, "There she is! Seize her!" Two of the three goblins that had hunted down Leora days ago were running towards them. Having no weapon, Damien looked around, and decided to use Leora's back pack. One of the goblins came up to him and Damien whacked it in the head with the bag. The other one advanced and he kicked him in the chest then turned to Leora, "Go! Get out of he-" but one the goblins had grabbed him from behind and held him as the other hit Damien repeatedly in the stomach. Leora got up, dropping her cup, and ran straight for the one hitting him.

She tackled the creature to the ground and began punching him in the stomach. Damien, still trapped in the goblin's grip, stepped in it's foot and when he was free punched the goblin in the nose. Leora kept punching the goblin over and over, until it coughed up blood, spraying in onto her face. She suddenly stopped, the blood fell upon her lips, and she tasted it. The goblin's blood was exactly like the blood that had fell upon her lips the night before! She had killed one of the goblins! Grinning at the pathetic creature, she head-butted him and he turned dead cold.

Leora got up and wiped the blood off of her face. But as soon as she did, she heard someone yell in pain. Damien's goblin was dominating in the fight, and Damien screamed in pain. He moved back from the goblin, without noticing he was on the edge of the rapids of the river. And with one blow, the goblin punched Damien into the water, and he was pushed along the currents unconscious.

"NO!" Leora screamed. The goblin looked at her and laughed, "Pathetic!" She narrowed her eyes at him, and got into her fighting stance. But the goblin was unimpressed, "You silly girl! Last time you may have been lucky, but your luck has run out!" Leora's eyes glowed red, and she growled, "I beg to differ!" She ran straight for him, and slid right under him, stopping between his legs. She then lifted her knee up and forced it into his groin. He yelped as she stood up and kicked him in the face. Her opponent fell instantly to the ground, and Leora smiled in satisfaction. "Damien!" She suddenly realized and ran along the riverbank.

She ran further and further along, not seeing him anywhere. But then, she spotted him, way ahead of her. She ran as hard as she could, and stopped suddenly. The river led to a gigantic waterfall; Damien was going to die if she didn't save him. There was no way she'd let that happen, not when she thought she'd lost him before. She took a deep breath, and began running for the ledge. She ran and ran and ran, and suddenly stopped, falling down the side of the waterfall. Damien fell just before her, and hit the water of the lake below in an instant. Leora breathed in deep, and plunged into the icy water. They had just landed in the Eighth Kingdom.


	11. The Truth and Beauty of Leora Cranston

Hello fanfic readers! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I promise to be more efficient this week! If you guys like what you read, please, review for my story! Thanks!

The crystal blue water shined as it fell from above, diving into a pool of darkness below. The lake felt like ice, and the water was endless, never seeming to have ground beneath it. Suddenly, air bubbles could be seen from the navy depths of the lake. Out popped Leora, gasping for breath. She was holding onto Damien, who was unconscious. Quickly she swam to the shore and dragged him onto the soft ground.

She knew what she needed to do to save his life, but she really really didn't want to. Making up her mind, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slammed her hands down onto his chest. Immediately Damien woke up, coughing water out of his mouth.

Leora sighed to herself in relief, if that hadn't of worked, she would have had to..........She put the thought from her mind, not wanting to picture it! Damien sat up and coughed some more, than looked at Leora kneeling beside him. "Leora?" He studied her curiously, not believing what had just happened. "You...you saved me?"

Not even believing it herself, she nodded slowly. Exhaling surprisingly, Damien swiftly leaned in and hugged her, whispering, "Thank you, I couldn't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't been here for me!" Leora felt awkward about the hug, Damien had never done that before, they never were exactly on good terms up until ten minutes ago! But, once he said those words to her, she couldn't help but smile to herself and accept the hug.

When the two parted, they looked around them. They both stared in complete awe. Neither of them believed the site they gazed upon now. After plunging down the waterfall, they had entered the Eighth Kingdom; and it happened to be completely covered with snow!

Everything in sight was frosted; from the leaves on the trees, to the dirt, to the flowers and the grass! And half of the lake they were just in was frozen! Leora was feeling lucky that she didn't get stuck in that water for too long.

Leora rose from the ground and gave Damien a hand-up. They began walking away from the lake, not sure where they were heading, for they had fallen off the path Wolf told Leora to keep to. Looking around, Damien saw nothing but snow. However, that wasn't what Leora saw. In the past couple of days, her eyesight has seemed sharper, and she assumed it was because of her heritage. The last pill she received from her aunt in New York had completely worn off, so she was finally growing into a wolf.

She stopped in the middle of the icy forest and smiled. Looking at her, Damien asked, "What do you see?" Walking away from him, she replied, "Our shelter for the night!" Following her, Damien spotted a cottage, which looked white to them because it was almost completely covered in snow!

Leora got a fire going in the fireplace while Damien brought over the fireplace cover. Looking at him curiously, Leora asked, "What is that for?" "Our clothes, we'll freeze to death if we don't warm them up!" Her eyes widened and she gulped with difficulty. Clothes? Leora had never been out camping before, and never had to dry off the only clothes she had in the middle of nowhere, in some cottage, alone, with a guy! Damien was finishing drying off his coat, smiling to see that it was fairly easy material to do so with.

Without hesitating, Damien unbuttoned his blue collared shirt. Leora turned her body away from him, but still seemed to move her eyes back towards him. Damien took off his shirt and placed in on the fire rack. Leora tried so hard not to gaze at him, and thought, 'Don't look at him don't look at him don't look at him! Just ignore him, like he's not even there, like he doesn't even have an amazing body!' And he did, he was pretty buff for such a slim-looking guy. But still, Leora stayed modest, "I think I'll just keep my wet, cold clothes on thank you very much!"

Damien looked over at her and told her, "You're going to get sick!" He walked over to her and said soothingly, "We can look around the cottage for something along the lines of clothes. Don't worry!" "Why are you being so cool about this?" He smiled at her and said, "I happen to be a good nurse when the time comes for it." They searched the small house for anything that could help. And then, Leora said victoriously, "AHA! I've found pants!" She turned around and saw that she wasn't the only successful one. Damien was holding a very grey peasant's dress. "Me too." They switched their items and looked at each other awkwardly, then went to separate areas of the house.

The sky grew dark that night, and the weather grew colder. Leora rubbed her hands together in front of the fire. The ragged old dress didn't help her much, it only covered half of her arms and went only to her ankles. She tied her hair up in a bun, still freezing from the climate. She looked over at Damien, who was looking back. She saw him sitting on the floor, looking perfectly comfortable on his pillow in only the pair of pants she had found and his jacket.

"Aren't you cold?" She asked him. "No, not anymore." He said mechanically. She studied him a moment, then turned back to the fire, moving closer to it for heat. Then, she felt something faintly brush her arm, then gently touching her skin. She turned and saw Damien sitting next to her, feeling her cold flesh. "Here," he said, taking off the jacket. "What? No, you need that for yourself. You'll get cold!" But he looked Leora in the eye a way he had never done before, and she couldn't help but comply. He put the coat on her and she smiled in gratitude.

Then, she began rubbing her hands together again, still feeling like an ice cube. But it stopped, and she felt a rush of warmth flow through her delicate hands. She looked up into Damien's deep blue eyes as he warmed her hands. After a few moments, he asked her, "Where did you go last night? What happened to make you feel so ill today?" Leora wanted to ignore the question completely, and simply said, "I don't remember." Looking into the fire. He realized she didn't want to talk about it, so he declined from talking. That was until he saw Leora's gold locket, dangling around her neck.

"Your necklace," He leaned in and picked up the locket. Leora watched him as he admired the locket. "It's..." "Old." Leora finished for him. But he corrected her, "No...it's-" "Faded? Filthy? Dull?" Looking gently into her face, he said, "No...beautiful." Leora flushed and looked down at the ground, avoiding his gaze. "Would you mind if I opened it?" "What?" Leora wondered. "The locket. Would you mind if I could look inside of it?" She laughed and told him, "You don't want to do that, trust me!"

"Well, I do trust you, and I do want to see what's inside." "I don't think that's a good idea, I just don't-" "Trust me? Leora, you saved my life, there is no doubt that I trust you. Why can't you trust me? Is it because you're ashamed of what's inside? If you trust me, than you don't need to be ashamed at all." Leora thought about it for a minute, not exactly sure about what she should do. But then, she looked into his eyes, and she knew, she knew she could trust him, somehow. So, she sighed, and leaned over to the fireplace and reached inside of her shoe.

Out she pulled her key, her key to the locket. She handed it to him, and leaned forward so her could reach her necklace. Gently, he put the key into the hole, and turned the lock. The locket opened, however, there was no white light, as a matter of fact, and nothing had changed. Damien was still leaning close to Leora, gazing into her locket. Then, he gasped and his eyes went wide.

Suddenly realizing that she had never looked inside of her actual locket, Leora picked it up and held it in her hand. Inside, was a small painted portrait. Leora couldn't believe it, it was so beautiful, and immediately she knew who it was. It was her mother, Harmony Cranston.

"Queen Harmony, granddaughter of the Sleeping Queen! It's wonderful!" Damien exclaimed and they smiled together. But then, curiously wondering, he asked, "Why do you have this?" Leora was suddenly frightened, she hadn't told Damien about her past and who she really was! She had no clue what to do. She looked around the room, anywhere but Damien's sweet face.

"Well, it's hard to say I-" Before she could say anything else, Damien put his hands delicately on her face, forcing her to look at him. "Leora, please, I know there are things in our lives that force us to keep secrets. But keeping secrets only weakens us, and it keeps us alone. Tell me Leora, tell me everything."

So, she did. She told Damien everything. Who her parents were, where she grew up, her newly discovered brother, and her heritage as both a princess and a werewolf. She talked for more than an hour, going late into the night.

"That's who I am, Damien. Now listen, I know that one thing about me; I am no princess. I am not royalty! It may be in my blood, but wolf's blood is also in me! I can't be some queen, don't you see? I'm a freak, and I'll always be a freak!" Leora felt a tear run down her face, and with hesitating, she left the room. She ran up the stairs of the cottage and away from Damien.

Finding a small bedroom, Leora went inside and collapsed on the bed, sobbing. She couldn't stand it, she just didn't want this. She was a freak, she knew that a prince like Damien wouldn't look once at her now that he knows who she truly is. 'I'm so stupid! I can't believe I even said anything in the first place! I should've never gone this journey in the first place!' Her thoughts filled her mind, and she was ready to explode.

That was until she felt big, strong arms wrap around her. Leora opened her eyes, and found Damien holding her as she lay on the bed. They were so close, nearly inches away from each other's faces. A smile grew across his lips, and he carefully wiped the tears from her face. "Wh...what are you do-" She tried to talk to him but she was too choked up, and he hushed he sweetly. "No more tears. There's nothing you should be ashamed of. You're beautiful just the way you are. Never have I met any girl that's as unique as you, as intelligent and strong-minded as you. You're perfect in my eyes."

Leora couldn't help but smile at him. She cried in both relief and happiness and wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders. Damien couldn't believe himself, he had never said anything like that before. He had never even opened up to someone before, not in that sort of way. He closed his eyes as he held her tight, never once letting her go. And so it happened, they held each other all night, even as they slept. Through all of their fighting and bickering at each other, they managed to stay through it all together, finally finding peace in each other.


	12. Giving up on Hope

Just a reminder peeps, R&R por favor!!!

Leora opened her forest green eyes that morning, feeling warm and comfortable. She sat up in the bed, looking around. It was a quaint room, and reminded her much of her own bedroom. There was a double window, a chair with needlework, a nightstand, and a quilted-sheet bed that she was snuggled up in. For some strange reason, Leora felt safe and at home here; but she didn't know why. Then, she heard a quiet knock at the bedroom door.

Knowing who it was, Leora sleepily said, "Come in." The door opened, and there with breakfast was Damien. He smiled at her and walked over to her bed and sat down next to her. "Good morning princess." Leora got goose bumps from the word, _princess_. She smiled back at him and asked, "Is that our breakfast?" He had two small bowls set down on a tray, both filled with dark berries.

"Yes. Eat up; we have a lot of ground to cover today! And, we also have to find Virginia and Wolf, we cannot do this by ourselves you know." Leora nodded and popped a berry in her mouth. Damien did the same. Swallowing it, Leora made a grotesque face but tried covering it with a smile, "They're...interesting!" Damien made a disgusted face as well, and said, "It's all I could find outside! There are no animals around in this frost, and these were frozen solid, so I warmed them in the fire. Please, we have to eat something!"

Enjoying his kindness and courteousness, Leora ate every last berry, even though they tasted worse than sour grapes. After she was done, Damien brought Leora her clothes. "They're dry, I'll go downstairs and let you dress." He set her clothes next to her on the bed, and before he moved his hands, Leora placed hers on top of his. Unknowingly, he looked up into her bright eyes and she said in but a whisper, "Thank you Damien. I couldn't have gone through last night without you." She held his hands more deeply, and being as suave as he is, Damien took her left hand and kissed it politely before exiting the room. Leora sighed and collapsed back onto the bed. She couldn't get over it, she was falling for Prince Charming, literally!

Leora floated down the stairs to find Damien looking quite handsome. He had put on his old clothes and was looking around the house at different things. He suddenly gasped, and Leora ran over to him, "What is it?" He was kneeling in front of a table, and lifted up a book and showed it to her. "Its...its..." Damien couldn't believe what he was holding, and Leora grew impatient. "Huff puff! What is it?!? Tell me!" Once Leora stopped talking, she suddenly realized she had said 'huff puff'. 'Great, I'm becoming more like Wolf by the day!'

"It's Sleeping Beauty's diary. This must've been the cottage she had grown up in, when she was hiding from Maleficent. You know, with her three fairy godmothers?" She nodded at him mechanically, not believing what he had just said. He handed her the book; it was very old, and covered with dust. She wiped it away to find it was a brown leather cover upon it, and had the name 'Brier Rose' printed onto it. "Since it was your great-grandmother's book, you should keep it. I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it. So, Leora took it as the left the small little cottage, carrying the book preciously as she went.

They began leaving the house, when not but ten minutes had passed, a snow storm picked up. Damien put his arm around Leora and they tried hard to walk against the mighty wind. "I can't see anything! We have to turn around!" "No!" Leora replied, "There's no way we could find that cottage in this! We need to keep going, it'll die down eventually!" "Eventually?!?" Damien hollered back. The wind was so fierce that they had to scream to understand each other. As they tried to get through the weather, Leora heard someone whistle. She stopped in her tracks and Damien kept going.

Leora walked to her left and disappeared into the snow. Damien looked back and saw that she was gone. He looked around and yelled, "Leora!!" He ran into the direction she had gone, screaming for her. "Where are y-" But before he finished, he felt someone grab him from behind and pull him into a cave.

He took the person's hands off of him and turned to see it was Wolf. "Wolf! It's so good to see you! Leora and I have been lost for quite a while!" He shook the confused man's hand and looked behind him to see Leora was there, safe and comfortably sitting down with Virginia talking. She looked at him and smiled. He hurried over to her and she stood up to meet him. He hugged her and whispered, "Oh, I thought I'd lost you!" "Lost me? I was only out of your sight for a minute!" He took her out of his arms and looked deeply into her eyes, "That minute was the longest minute of my life!" Leora laughed at him flirtatiously. She just couldn't help it, she'd never felt so happy with a guy before.

The two went and sat down next to Virginia. Wolf walked up to the group and asked them, "Where have you two been? First I find a slaughtered goblin, and then from the trail scent I followed, you went over a waterfall!" Damien and Leora exchanged looks secretly and smiled. Damien turned to Wolf and stated, "Nothing, it was just some trouble with the goblins, it's no big deal!" "No big deal? You could've been killed; or worse, Leora could've been killed!" Damien stood up and got into Wolf's face, "Listen, I would never let anything happen to her! Why don't you trust me?" "Because you lied to us! And from what I hear about the royal Charming family lately, you've been pretty unfaithful when it comes to threats in the kingdom!"

Completely offended, Damien gaped his mouth wide and said firmly, "Rubbish! That is absolute rubbish! Just because of certain actions that I happened to _not_ be involved with doesn't make me untrustworthy!" Virginia sighed and got down on the floor, getting ready for sleep. Leora sat calmly and wisely still, watching the two argue.

"OH! I think it most certainly does! Why don't I mention the Troll King last year? Or the elf crisis a month before that? You Prince Damien are not worthy of wearing that crown!" And just before the young man and wolf took a swing at each other, they heard a scream.

"STOP!" And they froze, right before they hit each other's faces. Their heads turned and found Leora standing there; she walked towards them and pushed their fists from each other and she stood between them. "It's been a long day! I suggest we all get some sleep until this storm calms down! So, desist the testosterone issue for now! Please."

The men gave each other evil glares before they slowly put their fists down. "Thank you." Leora said before going to sit back down again. Wolf went over and laid down next to Virginia, talking to her before they slept. Damien laid down and Leora put his head in her lap. "I'm sorry about that." He said.

"It's alright, I know things are getting hectic around here. And hey, thanks for not telling Wolf about what happened." Damien nodded and said, "Of course, I know you don't want him to know about the murder yet, and that you did transform. I understand."

Leora smiled, and giggled a little bit. "What is it? You did mean _that _didn't you?" Damien asked. She shook her head, "I meant about us sleeping in the same bed last night. I know we didn't _do_ anything, but, I don't think he'd like the idea of me and you holding each other in a warm cottage all night!" Damien laughed softly and agreed, "I know what you mean, trust me! Do you think he'll like me one day though?" Leora looked at him curisouly, "Who? Wolf?" "Yes Wolf!" "One day he'll come to realize you're the most charming man there is. And why wouldn't he? He is family!" They laughed together and talked a little longer, all the time enjoying the time they had with each other. Then, slowly, Damien drifted off to sleep.

Leora, however, would find no sleep. The fight had upset her dreadfully, she knew that the two didn't get along at all. She had to talk to Wolf about the murder. She looked over and saw that he and Virginia were comfortably sleeping in each others arms; so Leora sighed, and stood up and walked towards the cave's entrance.

The wind was blowing hard outside; and Leora couldn't see much but white. She stood there and watched it anyway, finding no comfort in what would come tomorrow. She had talked to Virginia earlier; from Wolf's knowledge, it would take but a few hours to reach the castle from here. The Ice Palace; once known as the Sleeping Queen's Castle. But everything was now snow and ice, including everyone back in the fourth kingdom. The fate of all the 10 kingdoms rested on Leora's shoulders. Wolf had said that the hair to the throne of Sleeping Beauty was the only one to defeat the Ice Queen; and Leora was scared, more than she had ever been. All her life she had wanted to live in her books about adventures with evil queens and dragons, but not until now, she wished she could wake up.

"I shouldn't be here." She spoke softly to herself. "I can't do anything." "I don't believe that. If you tried, I believe you could accomplish great things here." Leora turned and found Wolf coming toward her, looking out at the storm. "I thought you were sleeping." She told him. "And I thought you were stronger than this. Why are you frightened?" "Because it's a witch Wolf; I can't match up against a queen!" "Yes you can Leora, you have the strength; you just have to have confidence in yourself." "Confidence? That got me no where in New York! No matter what play I tried out for, what job I applied to, who I asked to the prom; it's all the same thing, failure. Why bother trying if there isn't anyway I'll succeed?"

"Because you can succeed! You can do good things, great things if you tried!" "Oh like what? Like murdering a goblin, eating it's flesh while it was screaming for mercy? What 'good' that was!" Leora then suddenly realized that she hadn't told Wolf about that, and moved her eyes from his glare. She was silent, she didn't know what to do or say to him. Right before she did say something, Wolf told her, "I knew Leora. It's alright! I know what you're going through; it's not like I myself haven't killed before! I have! Look," He came towards her and held her by the shoulders. "Being a wolf isn't easy. It's something you need to keep control of. Leora, I'm here to help you, to guide you through this, so you can go on and be a princess!"

"Princess? Princess?!? Did anyone ever ask me if I even wanted to job? Cause I don't, I'm not cut out for it, I'm not good enough! They're just gonna have to pick someone else to run a country!" "It's not a country Leora! And it's your destiny!" "Well I don't want it to be my destiny! I don't want it Wolf!" She suddenly realized she had been screaming. Wolf turned silent, and Leora started to shed tears. Without thinking, she turned and ran off into the snow storm.

"Leora!!!" Wolf yelled after her. In a matter of seconds, she was out of his sight from the thickness of the snow. Damien ran to the cave entranced and gave Wolf an angry look once he saw Leora had run off. They both ran out into the snow to look for her.

She didn't care anymore; as far as Leora was concerned, she was done with the adventure. She wanted to go back home, to New York. But now, she didn't have one, and her aunt was dead. She had no one, just the cold snow. She ran without even looking, eyes closed trying to hold back the tears. Then suddenly, Leora felt herself drop. She had obviously stepped on some weak ground and fell for what seemed forever.

WHAM! Leora hit the ground hard. She coughed, and slowly came to her feet, looking around. It suddenly was very warm, and Leora could no longer see her breath. It looked as though she was in an underground garden; life was springing up everywhere. There were flowers and butterflies, and a grass pathway. She followed it, not knowing where I would lead. Leora didn't know what was going on, but she suddenly felt safe and protected from everything in the world.


	13. Realization in a Rose

Hello again my fellow fanfic readers! This chapter promises to be an interesting one, so sit back and enjoy the tale! fairytale dreamer

"I've left the winter wonderland and entered the enchanted forest!" Leora exclaimed to herself as she wondered through the trees. She looked up and still saw that she was below the surface, seeing dirt and roots above her. But all around her were sunny flowers, sounds of waterfalls, and deep rich grass that formed a path which she was following.

Then, she suddenly heard something. She heard humming, someone humming. It was a lady's voice, and it was so beautiful. Leora couldn't believe it was real. The path came to an end, and she noticed it turned right into a sunny spot. As she turned, she was blinded by the white warm light. Then, the humming stopped.

As she covered her hands over her eyes, the light dimmed. She took her hand off her face and looked around to see where the path had led. Leora gasped, in complete awe. There was a little river, and a small field of grass with flowers blooming. What Leora found most intriguing was her; a young beautiful lady was sitting on a log looking at her. The lady smiled as her golden blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight. She had red rose lips and Leora knew instantly that she was the one that she had heard.

"Leora my dear, come sit down." Doing as she asked, Leora sat down next to her, confused, but she somehow knew she could trust this lady.

"Do you know who I am?" The lady asked.

"Uh, sorry, no. I'm not good with names."

"It's alright dear. I am your great grandmother. I am Aurora, or otherwise known as-"

"Sleeping Beauty!" Leora exclaimed.

Aurora laughed, "I see you've been educated by Constance!"

Surprised and confused, Leora asked, "Aunt Connie? You knew her?

"Yes; fairies can live very long lives you know. She was by my side when I ruled this kingdom."

"Wow, I figured she was much younger than that by the way she looked!"

"Yes. But I didn't bring you here for that reason."

"Brought me here? Uh, Queen uh Sleeping-"

"You can call me Aurora."

"Oh, ok. Aurora, I came upon this place by accident. No one bro-"

"My dear child, I did bring you here. Magic has many advantages you know. I felt that you needed some guidance in your beginnings of royalty."

"Listen, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I'm not meant for this. I'm really not. I'm just a girl from New York who works in a book store that has some very bizarre problems! I could never become a princess; or for that matter a queen! I'm...well, I'm just a freak okay; this isn't my destiny!"

"Leora, I know what you're feeling right now. I went through the same process; I had the same problems."

"You did?"

"Yes. All my life I had never really known where I'd come from. I was content for the most part; I dreamed that I could be off in a castle living the royal life. Just like you; a dreamer. But then, one day, my sixteenth birthday, I went off into the forest to pick berries. And on that day, I met a young man. He was very handsome, and very charming. We were in love instantly. It was like it was meant to be. And, just when I came home, I found out who I was and where I had come from. My fairy godmothers told me that I could never see that boy again, and I was crushed. I had every reason to not want to be a princess. I hated it. That was until I pricked my finger and fell asleep. Because, when I was asleep, I had a dream. It was a magnificent dream. I remember seeing a big lush country side, and I was walking across it. On my way, I helped many people; starving people, people in pain and suffering. They came to me, desperately wanting my help. And, because of who I was, I was able to help them. I remember doing so much good, and feeling like I really connected with people and made a difference. But what I remember most was that they all called me, 'The Sleeping Queen.' And when I awoke, I found my love, Prince Phillip; the young man from the forest. I knew then what my destiny was; to become Phillip's Queen and rule over our kingdom, helping everyone in need. Leora, many people go through life never trying to challenge themselves; they have no confidence or will to do anything to make the world a better place. Now what I want to ask you is this; are you the kind of person who goes through life not believing in yourself? Or, are you the girl, the werewolf, the princess that I know you can be?"

Leora was silent, not exactly sure how to respond. Aurora stood up and glided over to a tall bush. She looked at it a moment, then picked something off of it, and came back to her. Leora stood up as she approached, and looked at Aurora's folded hands. When she opened them, inside was a small but beautiful red rose bud. Leora and Aurora looked at each other, and Leora nodded at her conformingly. Leora closed her eyes, and Aurora took the rose and held it over Leora's head. A single dew drop fell and landed on Leora head.

"Leora, daughter of Harmony. You are now a Lady of the Rose, Princess of the Eighth Kingdom." Aurora put her hand to Leora's head to open her eyes. Once she did, Aurora said, "Now you will embrace your destiny. You must defeat Moleficent."

"But how can I do that?"

"The Ice queen takes two forms. One is of a evil woman, which you will face. And, there is another. That is of a creature taller than the highest castle, and darker than the deepest forest. But, that is not your concern. You must strike the Queen's heart, which has been ever winter."

"But with what?"

"You must fight fire with fire Leora. If you do this, you will be victorious." Aurora looks up at the sunlight, then back at Leora. "You must go now. Your friends are in need of you."

"But wait, how do I get out of here?"

"Follow the roses, and you will find your way!"

Leora looked behind her and saw a path surrounded by bushes of roses, all different colors. She was about to leave, but then remembered something. She turned to Aurora and took the notebook out from her sweater.

"This belongs to you. I found it in your bedroom."

Aurora smiled, and simply said, "It is yours now my dear, and use it well, for that very book brought me good fortune. Now, you must go. And remember, I will always be watching over you. Your mother will be watching over you."

Leora hugged her great-grandmother, not believing it was really the actual Sleeping Beauty. She whispered, "Thank you." Into her ear and ran through the path. Waving, Aurora disappeared and the light did as well. Leora kept running and running, following the bright roses around every twist and turn. Then, on one final turn, Leora ran straight into a wall and fall backwards to the ground. When she finally came to, she heard voices.

"Leora!" It was Wolf. The three were out looking for her.

She got up from the ground and looked behind her. But, nothing was there but dirt. She was in a dirt hole. The roses were gone.

"Wolf! Down here!" She yelled. Soon, she saw Wolf's head from above. Then, Damien and Virginia came as well.

"Throw me a branch or something!" Leora told them. Wolf disappeared then quickly reappeared with a long vine. He tossed it down and Leora grabbed it. As soon as she did, she let go and screamed.

"It's freezing!"

"It's all we have! Now come on!" Wolf ordered.

So, Leora grabbed it and claimed up. Virginia, Wolf, and Damien helped her up. Dusting herself off, Leora let out a sigh of relief. Looking around, she noticed the snow storm had passed, and all was calm, but very snowy.

"Oh my God! Leora, what happened to your face?" Virginia exclaimed. The two men noticed this also and were staring at her.

"What? What's wrong with it?" Leora looked at them confused, touching her face.

"Cripes!" Wolf exclaimed.

Damien rolled his eyes at Wolf and Virginia, and took Leora away from them far enough so they couldn't hear him speak to her.

"What's wrong with my face?" Leora asked him worriedly.

But, Damien only smiled at her, "Nothings wrong with your face. It's just changed."

"Changed? What do you mean?"

"Before we lost you around half an hour ago, you left looking like you normally do. A pale face, deep serious green eyes, and faded, but beautiful lips."

Still confused, she said, "Yeah?"

"But now, something's happened. You're face is, bright; like a ray of sunshine has come across it. Your cheeks are blushed and your lips are a luscious rose red. You look as though a great burden has come off your shoulders. Like everything suddenly makes sense!"

Virginia and Wolf came over and looked at Leora again. All three of them looked, and waited for her to explain herself. Wisely and slowly, Leora smiled. "Everything does make sense Damien. We must go to the Ice Palace at once! I have a destiny to fulfill!"


	14. The Ice Palace

Now that things are starting to get good, jk! Anyway, I'm really excited about the next 2 chapters, they are pretty much the climax of the entire story! So, please R&R! I hope I can still manage 2 keep u guys on the edge of your seats! fairytale dreamer

White snow flakes fell softly to the ground that winter day. The cold sun was setting behind the clouds as four strangers stepped onto the outskirts of the Ice Palace. They walked in silence as they headed towards the estate from the forest. It was a girl, a prince, and two werewolves.

Inside the castle....

On a black icy throne she sat, proud and callous. She was quite an unbearable sight; she wore a long black robe with a charcoal dress beneath it, and her hair was black and thickly tangled into a wild twisted bun. Her eyes were as cold and deadly as a Black Mamba; her face was worn and grey, and she showed no sign of emotion or pity. Sitting tall on the throne she had rightfully stolen, was Maleficent.

She rose like a snake and slithered down the steps of the throne to her mirror close by. She gazed into the dark blue reflection when one of her goblin servants came towards her.

"My Lady, it seems four strangers have entered your garden. They are trying to come in through one of the secret entrances."

"What do they look like?"

"Well, there is a tall dark fellow, from the looks it; I believe he is a wolf. Then there is a small girl, she seemed harmless. There was also another girl, but older and looked much stronger. The last one was none other than Prince Damien, of the Charming family. Should I have them executed?"

"No, let them come."

"I beg your pardon my lady, but I don't think that's a good idea I-"

"You will do as I tell you! Leave them be, I want them to think that they have taken the element of surprise! I know that they will come to me, they want to save the kingdoms!"

The evil queen laughed fanatically then turned to her guard, "Tell the others to hide and wait. That girl you speak of, she will come. I know who she is; she's a Lady of the Rose!"

Her goblin bowed and left her sight. Maleficent touched the top left corner of the mirror. It looked as though it had been cracked and the pieces had been inserted back onto it after falling off. The Snow Queen knew that she could stop the Lady of the Rose with her power. She laughed hysterically once more and disappeared.

"How did you know about this secret entrance?" Leora asked Damien as the two headed through the dark tunnels of the castle.

"Well, all of the kingdoms wanted to take back the Eighth Kingdom, and they had a map of the entire castle. My parents had a copy of it, and they made me study it day and night, because I would be one of the soldiers going to battle."

"Why didn't the plan go into affect?"

"Because of the borders of the Snow Queen's kingdom. She has many of her goblins guarding it, and the only way in is well, the way we came in actually! But, she senses many things, and she'd know if a large army was coming her way. We've been fortunate enough to be such a small group that we can go unnoticed!"

Leora nodded as they crawled to the end of the tunnel. Damien looked around the small space and ahead at Leora.

"Do you think Wolf's plan was full-proof?"

"Why do you ask? Don't you trust him?"

"Well, I trust him, but, it was very, uh-"

"Listen, Damien. We split up with them so I can kill the Queen. It's my job, Wolf and Virginia aren't involved with that! They're just keeping us safe from any of those goblins!"

"Come and get us you lazy no good goblin trash!" Wolf yelled as he threw snowballs at the advancing goblins outside in the courtyard. Virginia hid behind a tree from afar as she watched her love lead the soldiers away from the castle. His foolish but brave plan was working. She smiled as she watched him hit another goblin with a handful of snow.

But suddenly, Virginia felt a cold dagger come to her neck. One of the goblins had found her.

"Hey wolf man!" The ugly goblin yelled. Wolf stopped in his tracks when he saw Virginia in trouble. She tried to get out of his grip, but the monster was too strong. He held her and yelled again. "Stop this at once or I'll slay her before you!"

Wolf's head held low and he sighed in his defeat. He got on his knees as the guards came to him and put him in iron clasps. The goblin to Virginia into the castle, followed by Wolf not too far behind.

The tunnel's door opened and Leora fell out and onto the ground of one of the lower level rooms. Damien tumbled after her, hitting his head on the door as he stood up. Rubbing his head, he looked at Leora, who was looking around them. They were in the kitchen. There was no food there, nothing but frosted tables and chairs with counter tops. She snuck to the nearest door and peeked outside of it. She signaled Damien to follow him, but he stopped.

"Leora, wait!" He came toward her and brought her back into the winter-covered room.

"I have to tell you something!"

"Can't it wait? We have to go-"

"No! It can't! What if we died? I need to talk to you first! Please."

"Alright Damien. What is it?"

"It's not what, but who."

"Huh?"

"Leora, these past couple of weeks have been the most intense and sensational of my entire life! I met strange people that I never thought I might encounter. And, I met you. Sure, we didn't get along in the beginning-"

"We hated each other in the beginning!"

"Not the _exact_ beginning. Do you remember how we met? I remember being asleep, and then I woke up from something I heard. It was beautiful; you were singing. I followed your voice until I found you, and in that moment; I thought that you were the most pure, the most stunning girl that I had ever seen. I knew you before I knew your name. I knew your innocence."

"What does this have to do with what we're about to encounter?"

"-and after we worked out our differences, something happened to me. I completely changed from who I was before. I felt like a man, like I had a purpose and place in life. That was with you. Leora, I am in love with you."

Leora's heart skipped a beat. Never before had anyone said this to her, and meant it for that matter. She felt very warm inside, and so wrapped up with joy. And, in that instant, she knew.

"As you wish."

"What?"

"As you wish!"

"Leora, I don't think I understand what you mean."

But, she simply smiled at him, and wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him close. Very confused, Damien hugged her as well.

Making sure the coast was clear, Leora and Damien left the kitchen to enter the main hallway of the castle. Everything was dark, grey, and completely frozen. They walked hand in hand around the castle, until they stopped after seeing something most extravagant.

It was the main room of the castle, the ballroom. That was where the throne of great kings and queens was supposed to lay. However, a different sort of throne was elegantly sitting.

It was a frosted black throne, obviously Maleficent's. They entered the quiet room and stopped at the foot of the great steps leading to the chair. The chair was in the middle of a grand staircase that led up to the main quarters. Damien awed at the chair, but Leora's eye caught something else.

Stepping over to the right of the stairs was a strange piece of furniture covered in a purple silk cloth. Leora brought her hand to it, eager to remove it, but something stopped her. Someone stopped her.

"It appears I have some guests!" Said a booming evil voice throughout the room. The two looked around but saw nothing. Then suddenly, a big cloud of smoke rose at the top of the staircase. When the smoke fell, the wicked Maleficent appeared. She slowly made her way down the stairs and stopped at the side of her chair.

"Well, and an honored guest I have! Prince Damien, heir to the throne of the First Kingdom! A long way from home you are! This is the first time we meet face to face, since the last time I would have met you, you ran out on your family like a coward!"

Furious, Damien began to approach her, but was held back by two of her goblin guards that came from out of the darkness. Maleficent turned her attention to Leora. She looked surprised, but hid it slightly.

"Well well, this must be the young Lady of the Rose. However, I thought that the other girl would have been the one. So much stronger, much more eager to walk into death!"

"Don't you speak of her that way!" Leora warned the Queen.

"What an attitude! That is no way to speak to the Royal Snow Queen of the Eighth Kingdom!"

"You are no Queen!" Leora muttered softly. The Queen smiled evilly and came down the steps and stood beside the girl. She looked at the covered piece and back at Leora.

"Do you wish to see my greatest wonder?"

Leora started silently at the sinister witch. Then Maleficent laughed at her, and tore the purple silk away. It was a mirror. For some reason, as soon as Leora laid her eyes on the mirror, her head began to pound. It head terribly. She didn't know what was wrong. There was great evil in that blue mirror.

The queen stroked her hand along the glass, "I am so very proud my mirror. It is so beautiful. Yet so fragile. It shows me anything I wish to see. Even the future."

All of a sudden, Leora watched the mirror change from its blue form. She saw herself suddenly, but it wasn't good. She saw herself slowly dying, falling down to the ground. She watched this intensely, but something was heard in the back of her mind. She heard a scream. It was Damien.

Leora turned away from the mirror too late. Maleficent had something in her hand and released it onto Leora. Small blue pieces of glass flew everywhere. Leora tried to cover her face, but it was too late. A small fragment of the glass entered her left eye.

"NOO!!!!!!!!!" Damien cried from the goblins arms. Maleficent laughed as Leora looked up at the evil queen. Then, she looked over at Damien. Her heart was losing warmth, she was slowly going cold. And then, she collapsed just as she saw in the mirror, falling gracefully to the ground. Leora was dead. The guards took Damien away, and locked him up in the dungeon.

Maleficent took one last look at the frozen girl and laughed. "Silly girl! The Lady of the Rose is over!" Smoke formed around Leora and her body disappeared. Maleficent went back and sat on her dark throne. She smiled wickedly in her success, "I've finally won!"


	15. The Battle of the Eighth Kingdom

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't written in a while, I've been soo busy!! But, I promise I will be more efficient, and the next chapter will be posted either this following week or the one after! Forgive my delay, I am really excited how u like this chapter! And tell me what you think; I'm interested!

Leora's cold body lay on the floor of the main hall of the Ice Palace, where Molefescent stood over her, laughing hysterically. Damien, held back by the Queen's guards, began to weep over the loss of his one true love. After countless struggles to get free, he finally gave out and was knelt on the floor. Then, with a last look at Leora, he hung his head low.

"Oh, don't look so upset yet your highness!" The evil witch proclaimed. "She is not dead at the moment."

The young prince looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"She is in a frozen sleep; from the cursed mirror comes this slow and silent death that will approach, but not for one hour. She will die, but it will be a slow one. And don't even think about trying to wake her; it will not be like the last time, with Prince Phillip and Aurora, you will be locked in the lowest dungeon with your little friends with no way to escape! And, for your precious princess, she will be in the tallest tower of this very castle. Guards! Take this boy away; we will dispose of him and his idiotic friends later! Only fifty four minutes remaining prince! Enjoy my frozen dungeon!"

The goblins carried Damien off out of the room. But before he was out of sight of the villainess woman, Damien saw his love disappear into a cloud of darkness.

"Do you think they were caught?" Virginia asked Wolf as they sat in the cell below.

Sighing, for the first time since they were brought to the cell, Wolf spoke, "Yes."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Well, my senses could barely pick the two up. I know that they encountered goblins, that's for sure, and there was another scent. One of pure evil."

"Molefescent!" Virginia gasped.

"That's not everything. Since Fairy Constance's control over Leora's wolf self has ended, I can sort of sense when Leora is in trouble, and what she is feeling."

Virginia waited for him to continue, but he didn't so she urged him along. "Well, what did she feel? Is she in trouble?"

"She...she's...dead."

Then, all the noise in the whole of the nine kingdoms was but the wind from the snow.

"Move along you lazy bugger!" The goblins yelled at the devastated prince. He went slowly and sluggishly down the steps to the last dungeon, where Virginia and Wolf saw him.

"Damien!" Virginia exclaimed.

But he did not respond. He only let the goblins force him into the cell Across from Wolf and Virginia. One of the guards punched him and he fell down, blood coming out of his mouth.

Wolf stood up and growled, "You leave him alone you filthy goblin!"

"Back down you lowlife wolf! No one cares what you think!"

The two goblins laughed and locked Damien in. Then, they headed out of the dungeon and went just to the upper level to keep watch.

Slowly, Damien rose, but he didn't say a word.

"Damien, how could you just let them do that? How could you let them control you so easily?" Wolf yelled at the boy.

Looking up into the man's eyes, Damien yelled at the top of his lungs, "THERE'S NO HOPE YOU IMBECILE!" Both Virginia and Wolf took a step back from the outburst.

But, when Damien was about to yell again, the couple realized what he was doing. As Damien yelled, he was ramming into the frozen bars of his cell, trying to get loose. "WE ARE DOOMED! FINISHED! DON'T YOU SEE?"

Wolf and Virginia understood and tried to get out as well. But as hard as they hit the doors, the harder it was to escape. But then, Damien stopped yelling. He began to rummage through the pockets of his black coat for something.

Whispering, Virginia asked him, "What are you looking for?"

"I used to get in so much trouble for carrying this, since I used it to burn, well, things." The young prince told them.

"But, I find that they can be useful to us now!" Out from his pocket came one red bean. Virginia had no clue what to think of it, since she wasn't so familiar with all of the magic in the nine kingdoms yet.

"Cripes! I know what that is!" Wolf exclaimed. "That's a blazer bean! It makes fire!"

"Here, take it!" Damien bent down and rolled it across the floor to Wolf. "You're much stronger than me. When you light the lock, it will unfreeze and start to melt. I only have one, and you can bust down the door and go up and get the key from the guards!"

Wolf nodded and opened the bean, a fire sparking. While he burned the lock, he told Damien, "I thought I had you figured out. But you proved me wrong; you are smarter and braver than you look. I think you and Leora will be a fine match. Okay, here it goes!"

Virginia stood back as Wolf got ready to hit the cell door. He kicked it with great force when Damien screamed for distraction. The door swung open in a flash, and Wolf ran out and shut the door again with Virginia in it, so the guards would believe it was still normal. He went and hid behind the door by the stairs when the two guards came running down them to check on the noise.

They barged in through the door and looked at the prince and the girl. "Ey! Where's the dark one?"

But before they turned around, Wolf hit both of them in one hard kick.

"Woah! Nice job!" Virginia said as Wolf came and opened her cell for her.

After they let out Damien and headed up the stairs, they checked to see if anyone was in the next hallway. When they saw it was clear, Wolf turned and whispered to the others.

"We can go down this pathway and find some weapons and attack the castle. There aren't many goblins, and the witch will be powerless when we get hold of the mirror!"

"No! Leora is still alive! Molefescent said so! I have to get to her in the next ten minutes or she _will_ die! I'll take _that_ passageway and claim to the tallest tower! That's where she's locked, in a deep sleep! Good luck! If I don't make it, I want you to know I couldn't have found another pair of heroes that could do a better job than you two! So long!"

And away the boy went, to seek out his true love.

"The tallest tower? A deep sleep? It's so cliché!" Wolf exclaimed.

"Why does it matter? Why that mean anything to you?"

"It's just like a fairytale; so perfect, he's willing to die to save her! He's a true hero! I am no hero!"

"But you are," Virginia reminded him, "If it hadn't been for you, I'd be dead. If it hadn't been for you, I would have never found my true hero, my true love."

Wolf looked down at her, slowly realizing this. He smiled and kissed his fiancée tenderly and held her close. Then, getting ready for action yelled, "Let's go kill some goblins!" And the happy couple ran off in the opposite direction.

When the goblins heard Wolf's continuous cries, they ran down the stairs and away from their posts. It was working magnificently, and Damien came out of the darkness and ran up the stairs. Up and up he went; only thinking of one thing, Leora. He had only a few minutes left, she would die if he didn't hurry.

After the countless stairs, he finally made it to the door. It was locked of course. In a panic, Damien looked around for something to slice it open. All at once, like it was destiny, he saw a stone monument next to the door, hidden in the shadows. On top of the stone formation of a soldier holding a platter, was a magnificent sword and a shield. He took the sword without thinking and took the lock off of the door and kicked it open.

He ran into the room and found Leora, fast asleep on a blue and violet covered bed, with only one minute of life left in her. Her lips were faded from the red of a rose to a pale blue. Damien did not know how he could wake her. He thought of everything he knew of the witch and Leora and the mirror. Then, it hit his head like a lightning bolt. Everything made sense now.

It all happened before; meeting her in the forest, the singing, the Ice Queen, the deep sleep, the sword and the shield. This was exactly as it was in the tale of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Phillip. And Damien held this ancient and famous sword now. And he stood beside the descendent of Sleeping Beauty herself. Only, she wasn't an ordinary princess, she was much different than any other princess that ever existed. She was a royal, a friend, a sister, a lover, a werewolf; she was extraordinary.

All at once, Damien set his sword and shield down. He leaned over Leora with anxiety and excitement, nervousness consumed him. But, he loved her, more than anything else in the entire world. And slowly, he took hold of her delicate hand and leaned over her. Closing his eyes, he placed the softest, purest kiss onto her lips. Warmth and compassion filled between them; love and life filled the air. Then, slowly, the deep green eyes of Leora Cranston were opened.

Damien came out of the kiss and they stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Then, a smile grew across the angelic face of Leora. She leaped into his arms and he picked her up from the bed, swinging her around and around. They laughed and held each other tightly, never wanting the moment to end. And finally, he let her down and Leora looked at the room around them.

"Is this...are we...did this happen before?" She asked him eagerly, knowing that it could not be true.

"Leora, it is so simple. Don't you see? This did happen, it happened once upon a dream."

Leora was about to say something, knowing where she had heard that line before. But, Damien would not yet understand the concept of movies, and she knew she would have time after this to explain it to him. So, she smiled and watched him pick up the once Prince Philip sword and shield and took her hand and began to run down the stairs.

"Do you have any idea what we should do to stop the queen?" He asked her, clueless himself.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what I'm going to do!" Leora said vengefully as they ran to the main ballroom, where the evil being lay.

Molefescent sat in her chair feeling triumph. Leora was dead, and she ruled all the nine kingdoms. Her wish had finally been granted. She laughed and looked at the snow and ice around her, very pleased with herself. This had all happened because of that magic mirror, which was below the steps in her sight. Sitting in the quiet, the witch suddenly heard a noise. It was humming. But what she didn't know was that it was the hum of a tune from another kingdom, the tenth kingdom to be exact.

Then, out from the corner of the ballroom Leora came walking, hands folded behind her back. "Revenge, I never realized was this sweet! It's as sweet as a snickers!"

The dark witch stood and watched the girl walk solely into the room. "It's a shame you've never had the privilege of tasting one, they're common in the world I come from! So delicious! Just like the doom I've planned for you! Molefescent my dear, it seems I am not just some 'silly little girl' no, I am so much more than that!"

"And what is _that_ I hear myself asking?" The witch said, knowing that this girl was just a stupid princess.

"That I am no princess!"

"What? I don't understand! No! You're just trying to trick me!"

"Actually, I'm not you bloody murder! I am much more than a princess!"

And in a flash, with all of her might, she ran towards the mirror and was suddenly right in the witch's face.

"I am half wolf! And that is much greater than anything you or your magic could conjure up!"

And yelling nothing more, Leora took the piece of mirror she had taken from the bottom of the stairs and dug it deep into Molefescent's right eye. She backed away as the poison took affect on the witch. But, as the villainess laughed as she slowly disappeared into nothing.

The witch said one last thing before she ceased to exist, "I may be dying my dear, but this is only half of my power! Don't you remember the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty? Don't you remember that I am not just a witch, but I am something much more powerful that you will not be able to defeat!"

The witch turned into black dust, and Leora suddenly realized what the wicked one had meant. She ran out of the ballroom and out into the garden where the other three were finishing their fighting.

"Leora? Did you do it? Did you stab her in the eye?" Damien asked.

"Yes." She said in a hurry.

"And she died?" Virginia asked.

"Well, sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?" Wolf confronted her.

"Well, you know how in the story of Sleeping Beauty that Prince Philip had to get through countless obstacles to get to his princess?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, do you remember the part where Molefescent turned into a-"

But before she finished it, a large growl could be heard. Out from the roof of the great castle a black creature came, stomping towards the four. It became louder and louder as it marched, and finally stood before them.

"A dragon!" Leora finished.

Everyone went silent and stood looking up at the beast. Without hesitation, all four of them ran into the woods. The monster soon followed them.

They hid behind a boulder and tried to form a plan, but Wolf stopped everyone.

"There's nothing we can do! No matter what that thing is going to kill us! Now, I can draw it away from you three; you guys can escape, I'll deal with it!"

"No! You'll be killed!!!" Virginia exclaimed. They held each other, and Leora couldn't think of anything, and turned to where Damien had been for an answer. But, he was gone.

"Damien? Where's Damien? DAMIEN!" All three of them saw Damien going towards the dragon, burning the forest. Leora ran to him and stopped him.

"Damien? What are you doing? You'll be killed! You have nothing-"

"No! I have this! This sword and this shield got rid of this monster years ago! And if I stab that beast in the heart, Molefescent will be gone forever. The reason it didn't die those years ago was because Molefescent's human form wasn't defeated. But you did defeat her, and now, all there is left to do is kill this dragon! And I have to, the fate of the nine...ten kingdoms depends on it!"

"But you'll die! I don't want to lose you! I love you!" She kissed him and tried to make him stay. But, he looked at the dragon's destruction, and then turned back to Leora.

"As you wish." Was all he said.

He ran off into the flames and up to the monster. Leora cried and screamed, but she knew that Damien was their only hope. Wolf and Virginia took her in her despise and began to ran away from the fire, making it far enough away where they we hidden from the dragon. They watched as the dragon fought Damien.

Damien was very fast, and he struck the beast's head many times. The dragon breathed fire everywhere, but he managed to doge it. They fought this way for a long time. Then, towards the end, Damien ran up and stabbed it in the foot. It growled it pain and stood up on its back legs. Aiming his sword, Damien threw the sword straight into the dragon's heart. It shrieked in its defeat and began to fall to the ground. However, what happened next was not to be expected. It fell forward, right to where Damien was. The three struggled to see, and it was very hard to watch what was happening.

But Wolf could see, and Leora heard a large thud of the dragon, falling dead to the ground. Then, the fire from the dragon grew larger and larger, so, Wolf took the girls and they ran far away. He wouldn't let them stop, and kept going until they made it all the way near the border of the fourth kingdom, on the route that was deserted by goblins. This was the faster route in which they could've taken if it was safe as it was now.

"Come on, we have to get to Wendell's estate to see if the spell is broken!" Wolf yelled at them.

"No! We can't! Damien is still back there! We have to go get him!" Leora said. "He needs our help!"

Wolf looked at Virginia solemnly, then they both looked at her. "He does need us, doesn't he?"

Leora didn't understand their look. Not until Wolf spoke in a soft voice in which he had never used before.

"Leora, I saw him fall. He didn't make it. I hate to say it but-"

"Stop! No, it isn't true! Don't you dare say it!" Leora pushed him but he controlled her none the less.

"He's dead Leora! He's dead! You have to calm down!" But still she beat on him, becoming more and more upset, and slowly began to cry. She collapsed into Wolf's arms and cried pitifully. Wolf couldn't help but be sad as well. He held her close and tried to comfort her, but it wasn't enough.

Leora wanted Damien, she wanted her prince. All her life she had been waiting and wishing that she could one day find true love. And when she did, it was stolen from her. Her heart was in an instant shattered into a thousand pieces. She had lost her parents, her godmother, and now, her one and only love. Her love was lost forever.

I know I know! It's so sad! But I never said that this was a happy ending! Don't hate me please, and keep reading, I promise I will make it up to you readers. And much more suspense as you guys know me for! Check in next week fanfic readers!


	16. Once Upon A Dream

Good morrow my fellow fanfic readers! I just wanted to pop in and say that this is NOT the last chapter, I repeat, this is not the last chapter! However, I believe that the one coming after it is, for now. I am thinking about a sequel, but I'm not so sure yet, I might need some advice from u faithful fans of mine! And thank u all 4 the reviews, u exceeded my expectations! Please, keep R&R!!! Enjoy!!!!!

The Eighth Kingdom's eternal winter suddenly sprung to life. The snow was beginning to melt, and wild animals were emerging from their long and retired beds to come back into the world. Even the once Ice Palace was melting away, and the rightful towers of the Sleeping Queen were set. Flowers blossomed, and the flames of the fire faded. Sleeping Beauty's kingdom had returned.

"Do you think it worked?" Virginia asked Wolf as they walked across the enormous lawn of King Wendell's castle.

"I think we'll soon find out!" He responded. Wolf was still very grim about the argument earlier; he could feel his sister's pain greatly.

"Listen Wolf, I know that it's sad to know that he...is dead, but look! The kingdoms are safe! He saved us all! We should be grateful!"

"I am grateful Virginia, and I know _she_ is too. But it's too early to talk about that now. I upset her too much already. Come on, we're getting behind."

The pair started to catch up with our beloved heroine, who was walking towards the castle with great sorrow.

'I can't believe it, it's not true. Dead? No, there must be some mistake! Oh why did he have to go be a hero? Why couldn't I have just taken the sword and be done with it? I'd even take his place if I knew he'd be alive! Why not take me God? Why does it have to be him?'

"Leora! You're so fast! We couldn't catch up with you because you've been so far ahead!" Virginia broke into Leora's thoughts and somehow knew what the girl was thinking.

Complying to the girl's need to seem happy, Leora said, "We'll, what can I say? I'm half wolf!" And looking over at Wolf, she finished, "And proud of it!" He smiled at her and came a little more at ease, however, Leora did not. Finding the entrance to the great castle, Wolf flung open the doors and ran inside.

"HELLO! IS ANYBODY HO-" But he stopped when he was greeted by five guards with swords pointed at his neck.

"WOAH! Fellas! Listen, I'm not the enemy here! I'm here to see the King, King Wendell! We're old caps him and I!" But the guards were unconvinced.

One of them yelled, "Throw him out!"

But before they pursued, Virginia came up to Wolf and backed the guards away. "Stop! My father is Tony Louis, he is expecting us!" However, the guards still did not believe them, and kept their swords high.

Then, Leora strode into the castle. After sensing the tension, she decided to take charge. "Put down your weapons at once! For I am the Lady of the Rose, and you shall show me and my guests courtesy!"

Wolf and Virginia exchanged curious looks. The guards mumbled 'the Lady of the Rose' as they lowered their weapons. Then, one of the guards looked deep into the girl's face and said aloud, "She's telling the truth! She is who she says! She is the lost heir to the throne!"

The guards looked in awe at her. Leora suddenly felt nervous, and took Wolf and Virginia by the arm and said, "We're gonna go find the uh, king or whatever! See ya!"

And they hastily went away.

"What was _that_ all about?" Wolf asked Leora curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just something I picked up in the cave!" She replied.

"Cave? What cave?" He asked.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you la-"

"Virginia! You're here? How'd you get here?" Virginia's father, Tony, found them walking towards the main hallway.

Virginia went up and hugged her dad explaining how they got there in the first place.

Taking one look at his almost son-in-law, Tony dully said, "Hey Wolf."

But Wolf didn't take it lightly. He forcefully went and hugged Tony so tight that he picked him up off of the ground. "Good to see ya Dad! It's been pleasant without you!"

Tony pushed his son-in-law off and took a glance at Leora in disbelief. "Leora? Our neighbor Leora? What's she doing here?"

Virginia took her dad's arm and explained, "Well, Dad, _she's_ Sleeping Beauty's granddaughter. The heir to-"

"The throne of the Eighth Kingdom!" Finished Wendell. He had been listening to their conversion the entire time. He went up and shook Wolf's hand, then greeted Virginia.

"That was very interesting! To have that awful witch barge in during Tony's meeting! She scared us so much that everyone seemed to freeze! Well, I want to thank all of you for what you have done. You saved our lives; if you didn't stop her, we would have never melted! There will be a ball tonight in all of your honors! You three will be heroes throughout the nine,"

"Ten." Tony corrected him.

"Ten Kingdoms! And, Leora Cranston, you will be presented with your crown tonight as well, since it seems right to do so!"

"I must correct your statement, King Wendell." Leora said. "There weren't three heroes who saved yours and all of the kingdoms. There were four. Prince Damien of the First Kingdom, he was with us. He...died to save us. If it hadn't been for him, that evil creature would still be out there."

The five went silent, realizing how powerful those words were for Leora to bare in the same sentence.

"And he will be remembered as a hero to us all. Come, you three must be exhausted. My servants will show you to your quarters to rest. And, they will fit you for your outfits for the ball tonight." King Wendell stated as he lead them through the great hallway.

Leora followed him in obedience. However, she knew that tonight would not be a night of joy and dance, but a night of mourning.

Fireworks exploded in the sky as the sun set that faithful night. The kings and queens from all the nine kingdoms came to Wendell's castle to join the other leaders that had already been there for Tony's new castle plan. The ball was to shortly commence and everyone was buzzing about the return of the original 8th Kingdom and its newly discovered heir.

Virginia walked through the great hallway to find Wolf. But, as usual, he found her. "Oh my succulent bride! You look absolutely stunning!" He kissed her vigorously and admired her simple lime green dress she wore proudly.

"Thank you Wolf. And you look good too, I see Wendell's servants decided to give you some color!" Virginia smiled as she studied Wolf's sapphire blue velvet attire.

"Well what can I say? I do clean up nicely!" He grinned as he enjoyed his fiancé's company.

Virginia paused for a moment, and then began walking away from Wolf.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I just need to freshen up that's all!"

"Freshen up? But you look gorgeous!"

Without any hesitation, Virginia headed towards Leora's quarters. What she hadn't realized until that very moment was that she needed to talk to Leora. It was only a month ago that Virginia's own fairy godmother gave her some helpful advice. And she remembered Snow White saying that Virginia was just a lost girl. But not anymore. She had a clear vision now, and had big plans for her life. But, what she knew she had to do was help another lost girl through the woods.

Virginia softly knocked on Leora's door, and slowly entered the silent room. Everything was dark, and the only light there was from the fireworks outside on the balcony. Then, a large firework went off and Virginia could see the silhouette of someone outside on the balcony. She walked through the room and out the open door to find Leora standing and watching the night sky.

Leora's hair looked beautiful, and the maids had done a terrific job on her makeup. But, Virginia noticed that Leora was still wearing her charcoal jeans and her yellow-t and green sweater.

"Hi." Was all Virginia could conjure up. Knowing her presence, Leora turned to face her guest.

"Hi." She dully responded.

"Umm, can I ask why you aren't dressed for the ball?"

Leora sighed, and simply said, "I'm not going."

Virginia thought twice about asking the girl why, but she already knew. Leora was scared. Scared of the ball, the people, her destiny, and scared for her life without Damien.

"Leora, I want to tell you something very important." Virginia walked over to Leora and took her hands.

"I was just as scared and confused as you are now not too long ago. I had nobody that cared about me, I was passing by as a waitress, and I had no confidence in myself at all. But then, something amazing happened. I found a dog, a lost lonely dog. And he led me and my father to this world. And we faced things and did things that I thought were impossible. And that's when I met Wolf. Just when I thought my life was over, both destiny and love fell onto my feet. I never thought that could happen for me again, cause I had been in love before. But it did, and it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me. And that lost dog, that was King Wendell, who was just a prince back then. Because of him and Wolf and my father, I found my confidence, my strength, and my destiny. I'm a hero here Leora, and back in New York, I'm starting up a restaurant with Wolf. I just needed guidance, and support from my friends. And I found that.

Leora, Wolf may only be your half-brother, but he loves you. He wants to be here for you, just like I do. And you know my dad, Tony, we're all here to support you and encourage you in everything you do. No matter whether it's going back to New York, or staying here, and living this royal life. I think it's nice but, New York's the place for me! Listen, there are tons of people downstairs ready to meet the princess of the 8th Kingdom. Now what I want to ask you is this: is their princess here? Or, do they have the wrong girl?"

Everyone was chatting down in the ballroom where Wolf paced back and forth as Tony stood watching him.

"What's gotten into you? They'll be down in a minute!" Tony told him.

"Well, I don't know! Maybe Leora decided to sneak out, ya know. Leave the castle or something. Maybe she left hours ago and we're still waiting around for her! Oh, where is Virginia and why didn't she come down to tell us yet?"

Tony rolled his eyes as Wendell approached him. "Is she here yet?"

"No, I think she's still up-" But before Tony could finish, Virginia came down the great stairwell. Looking over at Wendell, she winked and he knew it was time.

Wendell, wearing his crown in pride, strode up the stairs and turned to stand at the very top to gather the crowds attention.

"My Lords and Ladies who have traveled great distances! I know the past few days have been, well, rather agonizing. But, I assure you, this is well worth the wait. Long ago our kingdoms had rulers that were strong, wise, and the best queens ever to step foot into these lands. And some still are-"

He said nodding at Queen Cinderella, wearing a black dress in memory of her great-grandson Damien.

"But tonight I have the privilege of introducing you to someone that makes all the other famous fairytale ladies seem inferior. She was but a myth to us for a number of years, and after her astonishing triumph over the once Ice Queen Molefescent, she is here tonight to show you all how much of an extraordinary girl she is. Won't you please help me to welcome, Leora Cranston!" The crowd clapped and cheered as Wendell came down the steps to join Tony, Wolf, and Virginia.

Out from the hallway she came, making her way towards the great staircase. Looking around, she had never seen so many people looking at her, and applauding even! Taking in a deep breath, Leora took her steps down the gigantic staircase.

Every person in the room gasped in awe. There was never a vision as lovely as this. Leora elegantly wore shiny glass slippers on her feet, and a dress that was meant to be worn by an angel. It was a light purple and silvery dress that fitted tight from her waist up with only thin lilac straps hanging on the ends of her shoulders. At the hips the dress puffed out and flowed down barely covering her feet. Her usually long and straight light brown hair was completely curled and only parts of it were clipped back to show her brilliant face. Her red rose lips shinned along with the natural sparkles of her dress.

"Uh, Wendy!" Wolf chimed at Wendell. "I have to say, that speech you just gave about Leora loveliness, is clearly underestimated!"

Wendell nodded in agreement. No one could deny that Leora was completely and utterly stunning. Then, as she came down the last step, Wendell and his men greeted her. One of his servants held a red pillow with the most beautiful diamond and silver crown Leora had ever seen.

"Leora Cranston, I have here the royal crown that your mother, grandmother, and great grandmother had all worn before. The symbol of their purpose. This will define you and your destiny. And as many have asked before and I ask you now, do you accept your role as Princess of the entire 8th Kingdom?"

Looking up at Virginia, then at Wolf, Leora smiled, "I accept it with great honor." And saying nothing more, Wendell took the urbane crown and placed it on top of Leora's head. He bowed at her, and she curtsied. Then, the king turned to the honored guests and stated for the first time, "Kings and Queens of old, I am pleased to announce the new Lady of the Rose, Princess Leora of the 8th Kingdom!"

Everyone cheered and applauded. Wolf jumped up and down and hugged and kissed Virginia, then he turned and hugged Tony, who cringed. Specially made fairy dust came down from the ceiling as everyone came to meet their new princess. Leora couldn't help but enjoy this feeling. Somehow, this felt right.

After talking with everyone she could have talked to, Leora went to sit down in a chair in the dining room. Wolf, Tony and Virginia waved to her and she happily went to sit next to them. They ate their dinner and talked joyfully about everything.

Then, Wolf leaned over and said in a low voice to Leora, "How do you feel? Are you doing alright?"

"You know, for the first time in what seems forever, I am." She smiled at him honestly.

"Good, cause I've been-"

"Worried about me? Oh, I know that. I guess you could say it's a 'wolf' sense! And listen, thank you, for everything. You may be my only brother, but I love you."

Leora leaned in and hugged him sweetly. "Oh, cripes!" And Wolf hugged her back, trying hard not to shed a tear. Then, they heard a sudden sound of music. Wolf turned to Virginia and scratched his head, "Come on, lets dance!" And he took her hand and they went off.

Leora and Tony followed them into the ballroom and she watched as Tony struggled with the fact that _that_ was going to be his son-in-law. She patted him on the back and told him, "You've got a really great daughter there Mr. Louis!"

"I know. But, I still don't believe she'd end up with someone like, _him_!" Tony said pointing at Wolf as he desperately tried to dance with Virginia, failing miserably. But Virginia laughed and enjoyed it more.

"I know how you feel. I mean, when I found out that Wolf was my brother, man! I was surprised, I didn't see that one coming!" And Leora walked away from Tony just to snicker at the sight of Wolf's dance.

Scratching his head, Tony realized what Leora had said, "Brother?!?"

Leora continued to watch Wolf and Virginia dance. As awkward of a couple as they were, they did make each other happy. They somehow were each other's perfect match. She sighed, and decided to leave the ballroom, not able to watch the dancing any longer. She walked outside the door into the castle's great and glorious garden. Leora had never seen anything like it.

The fireworks were still going off as she found a cement bench in the middle of rose bushes facing a beautiful fountain sculpture of the famous Snow White. She sat down and looked up at the stars. There were so many; never had Leora seen so many stars. New York wasn't the best place to be looking at them anyways. She thought about New York less and less here; Leora actually felt like she belonged here, in this world. But still, it just wasn't the same. Not without Damien. Yeah, they fought, a lot. But, when it came down to it, no other person made Leora happier. She felt that for the first time, she was herself without having to put on any show.

Then, out of no where, she heard a voice, "It's a beautiful night. I've never seen one like this before. Just like you." Leora studied the voice, but the more she studied, the more she couldn't believe it.

"Leora," Feeling someone touch her hand, she turned and found herself looking at a prince.

"Damien!" She gasped as she stood up. He held her hands as she tried to take in the fact the he was there. He looked handsome; he wore an elegant black suit with a bright blue tie. His smooth dark brown hair was barely covering the top of his bright blue eyes at it always had been. And he wore the same smile that he had greeted Leora with when they first met.

Leora took her hands and touched his face, looking deep into his eyes, "You're alive!"

"Miraculously," he told her, "that bloody dragon almost fell on me, and I thought I was doomed. But, I felt something move me out of the way in the nick of time! Even though the dragon didn't hit me, I smashed into a rock and was out cold for a few minutes. That's why you all thought I was dead, I was laying there stiff! When I came to, I saw someone. I don't know who, but I could tell that they were there to help me. It was a lady, wearing white. She told me to go back to you, and give you this."

Damien put his hand forward that revealed a red rose. He told her, "It is an ever-lasting rose. It will never wither, fade in its rich color, or die. This symbolizes my feelings for you Leora."

He took the rose and placed it in Leora's luscious curls. He held Leora close and told her, "I love you. I love you so much!" And then he leaned in and kissed her more passionate than anyone had ever kissed before. Through all of her happy tears, Leora kissed him back. They held each other close and when their lips parted, she held Damien to her and whispered into his ear, "I love you Damien!"

The last song of the night was just beginning. Wolf and Virginia had gotten a lot of practice, and were ready for the final dance. Everyone was in the ballroom, eager to see this glorious event. Then, out from the corner of the room, another couple glided into the room. Many smiled at the happy pair, and many gasped in astonishment. It was Prince Damien and Princess Leora.

Damien held Leora's hand as he led her into the center of the room. He let go and bowed before her, "May I have the last dance?"

Smiling, Leora said, "No. But, you can have the first."

And without another word, the violins played accompanied by the flutes. It was a beautiful sight. Leora's orchid colored dress whirled with her every move. Never once did she or Damien take their eyes off of each other. Never had Leora danced with anyone before, yet, she was doing famously.

Excited and blissful in the moment, Leora told him, "I wish this would never end!"

Reassuring his love, Damien said, "It won't. This will go on forever." And they danced for a very long time, longer than anyone realized. Even still, the rose laying in Leora's hair continues to be as red as her ruby lips. The entire night was just like a dream.


	17. Happily Ever After?

Miss Metilda Magoon was locking up the cash register late that night after a long day. Her bookshop "Metilda's" was actually starting to pick up; many people were beginning to be interested in her unusual collection of books. But, she hadn't the heart to put a 'now hiring' sign in the window yet; she kept thinking that Leora would turn up sooner or later.

She had heard about the horrible break-in only a month before, about Leora's aunt being murdered. Police had talked to witnesses who said they saw some strange looking men go into the building around the time the policemen figured she was killed. They concluded that Leora had come back to the apartment that day, but left just a moment later. She never returned, she didn't contact anyone, not even her boss, Metilda.

Metilda sighed as she held at the apron she made Leora wear. But, finally coming to the fact she'd never see Leora again, she set it in a drawer and locked it. But as she looked up, she gasped.

Leora was standing there, right in front of her; black jeans and all, it was like she never left.

"Oh my goodness! Lori?" Metilda wondered.

"Hey Mellie!" And without hesitation Leora came over to her and hugged her. Metilda began to cry in relief.

After she helped the old woman lock up, Leora wasted no time. "Listen, Metilda, I won't be coming to work for you anymore."

"What? Why not my dear?" Miss Magoon asked.

"Well, because of all this." She pointed to her bags she had sitting on the ground behind her. "I'm leaving New York."

"Well, I don't understand I-"

"Do you remember what you told me a month ago? The last time you saw me? I told you I wanted to get out of this place, travel, and go on an adventure. Well, I have, and just like you said to me; I've found my place in the world after all."

Smiling bitter-sweetly, Metilda replied, "I'm glad you did. Lori, I don't suppose I will see you again, will I?"

Leora grew a stern look, and told her sadly, "No, I don't think you will."

So, she hugged the old lady and tried to ease her pain. But, nothing would help. And without a word, she picked up her things, she began to walk away. But, just then, something struck Metilda.

"Leora! Wait!" She ran up to her and pulled something out of her purse. "Here, I want you to have this," It was the entire collection of _Grim Fairytales_. Leora couldn't believe it.

"Metilda! This is wonderful thank you!" She took it happily and walked once again to the corner.

"Lori, can I ask you one thing?"

"Sure."

"What's it like? This new life you've found? Is there anything you can say to describe it?" asked Metilda.

"Miss Magoon, the only way I could is by saying one thing: it's just like a fairytale." And Leora walked off around the corner, with a smile on her face.

Sighing, but with a smile, Metilda turned and walked home, just picturing what Leora's new life was like.

Fog covered the path leading to Central Park, and it was Leora's final stop before going back to the 9 kingdoms. Looking around her in the forest, she looked up at all of the tall buildings, the bright lights, the loud noises, and the other aggravations of this unpleasant city. It was true, she would miss it some; but she also knew that one day, long from now, she would come back to just see how everything is going. But still, she had one thought on her mind.

This city is just too fast for me. I need a place that is more my speed, and I think I've found it. It's been interesting here in New York, but I think I'll like living in the 8th Kingdom much better.

"Oomph! Oh, sorry sir, I didn't mean to run into-" Well, it turns out it wasn't just anyone I ran into.

"You!" Looking up at Damien, I smiled. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to wait on the other side of the mirror!"

"No you didn't! You distinctly told me to wait _by_ the mirror! You never clarified which side to wait on! And let me say, this is quite a kingdom! I mean, look at all the candles in the castles! That must have taken quite a long time to light them all!"

"As much as I love your rambling, let's go." I struggled to pull him through the mirror, but he stopped me.

"Aren't you going to miss it? You may not be back for years! You're whole life has been here, don't you feel like you're leaving it behind?"

"No Damien, you're wrong. I've got my life right here." I took his hand in mine. And then he made that adorable face I can't stand! So, without any ado, I kissed him. It was awesome!

"Come on, let's go home!" Stepping through the mirror, we passed through the flashing frames until we ended up in the Sleeping Queen castle, my castle.

After I had unpacked, Damien and I walked through the courtyard that sunny day.

"You know, I don't think I've enjoyed life as much as I do now. Why is that?" Damien asked.

"You know, I don't know!" I replied.

"Well, maybe it's because I've finally found my princess, and we lived happily ever after!"

"Happily ever after? I don't think we're there yet! I think we're far from it actually!"

"Why do you say so?"

"Because the worst possible thing is about to come over us! What is heard to be a nightmare, that makes everything in life seem unhappy!"

"And what is that princess?" He asked me.

"Wolf's and Virginia's wedding! It's not far away, and they want us to help with everything! Do you know how stressful it's going to be? The hard work, the wedding dress Virginia didn't want, Wolf eating the food before the actual ceremony, and then the-"

But Damien put his finger to my lips, "It's alright, everything will turn out right, I promise. You don't need to worry about a thing! I am your knight and shining armor, what to you think I'm here to do?"

"Umm, tell me you love me and buy me pretty things?" I answered jokingly.

"No Leora, I'm here to protect you, from everything!" Damien stated as he held me in his arms.

"Oh, you see, I knew that! Really, I did. I was just testing you that's all!"

"Sure you were!"

"Hey! Don't you start that with me you-" But without another word, Damien stole me away into one of the sweetest kisses ever to linger on the earth. Somehow, things were going to work out.

I know what you're going to say, "I love happy endings!" Sorry to disappoint you, but its not over! This story is far from finished, so keep looking at my updates. Ta Ta! Fairytale Dreamer


	18. The Night Before

_July 12th_

_Dear Diary,_

_It's only one more day until the wedding, and everything is a disaster! It's been so hard to find everything for the ceremony, and Virginia and Wolf had just decided on where they wanted to actually get married! I'm letting them get married in the great hall of my castle. But it took them over a week to decide whether they wanted it here or in New York! They are the pickiest people I know! And, as much as Wolf loves food, he says that "everything has to be perfect" and he wants to "sweep Virginia off her feet." I think he's already done that since she plans on marrying him! But anyways, I hope everything goes well; if I knew that their wedding would be this hard to plan, I wouldn't have agreed to help them in the first place! At least Damien's here, he's making everything less painful for me. I really don't know what I'd be like if he weren't here helping me with this. Well, there's a crisis in the great hall, and I have to be the one to fix it!_

_Leora_

"NO RICHARD! I said pink orchids not purple! You have to return those immediately and get the right color! James, what are you doing? The chairs are supposed to be facing the stairwell, not the corridor!" Leora hustled around the ballroom trying to keep things as organized and on schedule as much as she could, but everyone seemed to be making the task difficult for her.

She had been working for the past two weeks to make this wedding happen. Leora had promised she would make all the plans and arrangements for the happy couple, and in return, Wolf promised to have the food prepared. But, he was far from it, so she had to help in that situation as well.

"Lady Leora! Where do you want me to put the centerpiece?" One of her servants asked as he walked into the room carrying a large sculpture of a swan.

"Put it in the dining room Lawrence!" Leora told him. She checked her list that the centerpiece had arrived.

Looking at the slip of paper, she scrolled up and down the list with her quill not believing what she was seeing.

"I'm done! I have everything! Well, except the flowers, but everything else is here and taken care of! I did it! Wait! Oh no! The invitations! I forgot to send them!"

Suddenly, from over her head a hand grabbed her parchment and quill and pulled it back behind Leora. She turned around to find Damien holding it high above her, out of her reach.

"Hey! I need that!" She said struggling to grow six inches taller.

"Oh no you don't! And don't worry about the invitations, I've already sent them." He said going to the nearest window and throwing the list through it.

Gasping, Leora stood face to face with him, "How dare you barge into _my_ castle and throw out _my_ list for the wedding that _I_ planned!"

"The wedding _we_ planned! You've got to calm down; this wedding has turned you into a monster, and it's not until tomorrow! Now come on, there's something I want to show you!" He took her by the hand and they walked outside of the castle.

"Where are we going? Damien! Come on, I have to get back, everyone will be looking-"

But she stopped as soon as they came up to the lake. There was a beautiful baby blue quilt lying on the green grass that had a bouquet of flowers, with assorted foods and desserts on it.

Smiling hopefully Leora finished, "For me?"

"Yes for you! I thought you deserved this after all that hard work you did." He led her to their picnic under a gigantic oak tree right next to the bright blue water.

Leora wasted no time waiting to dig in. Damien did too, but watched her puzzled but intrigued.

"You know, I love the fact that you're both a lady and a slob!" He said before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"As slub?" Leora muffled through the stuffed turkey rolling around in her mouth.

Damien laughed at her, and nodded, "Yes. What I mean is, you make a fine princess, always showing poise and a polite but truthful speech to everyone around you, looking beautiful in your royal gowns; and on the other hand, you manage to eat the things you like, and not care about what people may think of you. And when you aren't on royal duty, you dress casually like you say everyone in the 10th Kingdom dresses."

Leora looked down at the cargo pants and brown sweater she was wearing. She touched her hair and noticed it was the messy bun that she had tied up that morning.

"And you like both these things about me? Wouldn't you prefer me as a proper and prestige girl all of the time?"

Taking Leora's hands in his, Damien looked into her eyes deeply and earnestly. "Leora, I think you're perfect this way. Both of these sides of you are...you! You're not covering yourself up; you're being yourself wherever you are! That's why I love you."

Leora smiled and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. "How is it you always make me feel so good when everything else is so bad?"

The charming prince grinned at her, "It's just a gift." He said simply.

He leaned over and closed his eyes. Leora did the same and held her breath. But then out of no where, "Leora! Oh Leora! There's a problem in the kitchen! Leora!"

Leora immediately opened her eyes, ballistic that Wolf ruined their moment. She dropped Damien's hands, stood up, and stomped over to Wolf who was walking over to her looking completely burnt. He had obviously been helping with the cooking.

"Huff puff!" Leora grumbled as she went over to her brother.

"My sweet little sis, I may have messed things up in the kitchen!" He dusted himself off from the smoke he was earlier consumed in. Then, he looked past Leora and saw Damien still sitting in the grass.

"Damien! Good to see yo-" But before he could finish, Leora shoved Wolf.

"Ugh! Could you for once not screw everything up? Gosh!"

Once he realized what he had done, Wolf apologized, "Oh! Sorry sis! Didn't know I was interrupting, I'll get Virginia to help me with-"

"Oh no you won't! You've already screwed up too much! My date has already been destroyed! Come on, let's go take care of that kitchen!"

"But I-" He studdered.

"I insist!" Leora urged as she pushed Wolf up the grassy knoll to the castle. Leora looked back and mouthed "I'm sorry" to Damien. But he just smiled, and waved as they left his sight.

"Those two really need some sibling counseling!" He said as he began to clean up the picnic.

Darkness grew around the castle and things began to settle down. Many of the guests had already arrived and were staying in various quarters in the enormous castle. People were already starting to go to sleep, but were soon awakened by all the noises downstairs.

Both Wolf and Virginia were having their bachelor/bachelorette parties. They decided a few weeks ago when Virginia explained what this party was about. And Wolf was obviously interested in it! Perhaps too interested. That night, all the men were in one of the rooms on the main floor.

"Want some more Dami?" A sluggish Wolf asked the prince as he spilled a wine jug everywhere.

"No, I'm fine with my first goblet, thanks!" Damien answered as he looked at his full goblet that he hadn't touched since the party started. He didn't like drinking very much. He sighed as he sat miserably on the couch next to Tony.

"Hey Wendell, want some more wine?" And off Wolf went to bother with someone else.

"Finally, I thought he'd never leave!" The prince sighed as he set down his goblet.

He turned to Tony and asked him curiously, "How is it you're going to let _that thing_ marry your daughter?" He pointed at Wolf. "I mean, I know he's nice and that he means well, but he and your daughter, they're so-"

"Different?" Tony asked.

"No. They're-"

"Unbearable to look at?"

"No!"

"Complete opposites?"

"Yes! Complete opposites! I mean, they come from diverse backgrounds, and the first time they met, they wouldn't stop arguing from what I hear."

"That's for sure!" Tony agreed.

"He's clumsy, a slob, overexcited, and he apparently tried to eat her grandmother!"

"Yeah." Tony replied, trying to hide his smile; he didn't like Virginia's grandmother very much.

"And out of all of this, Virginia loves him, because he saved her, and he's been there for her. Just like a friend would."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. You know what? You're right! Wolf my not be...well, Prince Charming!"

Damien grinned and Tony continued, "But he has taken care of her. I guess I should be nicer to him. After all, he _is_ going to be my son-in-law!"

The prince pondered about the subject a little longer, and Tony finally came to a conclusion.

"Hey, thanks Prince Damien! You've helped make this a little easier for me!" He shook the boy's hand and stood up.

"Oh, you can call me Damien sir." He responded.

Tony nodded and said, "I think I'm going to talk to Wolf."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"I think so. I haven't been very nice to him since we met, and I think I should do that, once in a while." So, Tony left the boy and went over to Wolf and Wendell.

But still, Damien sat and thought about it. '_Wolf and Virginia. They are opposites, and they wouldn't stop arguing when they first met. But, they complete each other. They're met for each other!'_

And Damien stood up and slipped out of the room, outside to the balcony; lost in his thoughts.

"What's does it feel like? Being the most famous princess in all of the kingdoms? I mean, doesn't it bother you that everyone knows you?" Virginia eagerly asked the girl.

"Oh, Miss Virginia! I've dealt with this my entire life! I can't help that I was born into royalty! I mean, look at me? I'm simply irresistible!"

Virginia had been talking to Princess Reena from the 6th Kingdom. She is known for her long, perfect blonde hair and egotistical attitude. She is the descendent of Lady Repunzel. Many of the women at the party were listening to her jabber on as well; all of them were actually, except one.

Leora stood in the corner of the room silent. She had been over there, listening to their conversation for a while, but quickly lost interest in the topic of 'perfect hair' and 'the right amount of makeup needed.' Leora didn't see how Virginia and the other ladies could be interested in someone like that.

"Of course every prince in all of the kingdoms wants my hand! But there are so many, I don't know which one to choose!"

Leora couldn't stand it anymore. She turned and left the room, where everyone held onto every word the princess said. Finding peace outside, Leora went up to the rail of the balcony and looked up at the stars. Virginia was the only girl she actually considered a friends here, and now she was too occupied with Princess Reena. She sighed and thought about the past, in New York. She didn't have many friends there either; and the ones she had always gone off to be with more popular people. So, Leora stood there on the balcony, by herself. She was alone in the shadows, once again.

Not standing it anymore, Leora began to softly cry. '_Why can't I ever have a friendship that works out? Isn't there someone out there that could actually get along with me, and be there for me?'_ But Leora's thoughts were interrupted by a noise. She heard leaves rustling together. She followed the sound to the far left of the balcony. And leaning over, she smiled as she watched Damien climbing up the ivy pipes to her. Leora struggled not to laugh, and went back to the place she originally stood, just so Damien would feel he surprised her.

After waiting a few long minutes, he finally came up behind her and rapped his arms around her;which Leora secretly suspected. But what she didn't expect was what he said.

"Leora, are we friends?"

"Friends? Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you considered us friends."

"Damien, I consider you more than a friend."

"No, I know that. But, do we still have a friendship? I mean, what makes a friend anyway?"

"A friend is someone you can always count on. Someone you can tell your deepest secrets to. And if you were to get in a fight, you'd forgive each other, because you care about them too much to loose your friendship."

"Then, we are friends, aren't we?"

Leora smiled and sat up on the rail. "Damien, you're my best friend. And actually," she looked inside at Virginia talking with the other girls. "You're my only friend."

Damien went up to her and held her hands, "What about Virginia? Isn't she you're friend too?"

"She seems like she's pretty content with those girls in there. And that Reena. All she does is talk about her hair and boys. Princes actually. I'd watch my back if I were you!"

Leora said jokingly as she poked Damien in the stomach.

"Hey! Well, don't worry too much about it. I'm sure everything will turn out fine between you two. Say, are you doing anything right now?"

Leora looked around, and whispered, "No."

Mockingly, Damien whispered back, "Do you want to get out of here?"

Leora smiled at him, and he took her off the rail and they climbed down the ivy covered pipes and walked off into the garden; talking.

The sun was beginning to rise as Leora and Damien sat in the grass by the lake. Damien was laying down in Leora's lap, looking up at her in content. Leora laughed at him when he made faces at her, and she held him as close as she could. She never once wanted to let this feeling go. With Damien, she was free.


	19. The Wedding

"Oooh! How much longer Wendy? I can barely wait!" Wolf was pacing one of the main rooms outside of the ballroom as Wendell, Tony, and Damien sat around and watched.

"We've got ten minutes until we need to be out there. Oh, why don't you sit down?" Wendell asked.

"I can't, I'm too nervous! And anxious! I hope everything goes perfectly!" The groom worried.

"It will Wolf, calm down. Everything will be perfect. You'll get your happily ever after!" Damien smiled at the group as he laid on the comfy couch dreaming of Leora.

Finally, Wolf sat down and stretched out, "Yeah, you know what Dami? You're right! I should relax, kick back, and enjoy every minute of this! It's not like it's a disaster!"

"This is a disaster!" Virginia whimpered as she hopelessly tried to remove the sparkling diamonds from her hair. "I told you specifically to get a simple crown that I could just attach to my veil! But instead, I've got these annoying hair clips in that I can't get out!"

"Listen, I'm sorry Virginia," Leora said in the girl's quarters trying desperately to get the clips out, but they wouldn't budge. "I must've wrote the wrong thing down! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to screw it up! I just wanted to help you. I mean, you're sort of becoming my sister-in-law. I'm trying to hard to make this day great for you!"

Virginia took her focus away from the mirror when Leora said this. She suddenly felt very selfish. "Oh, Leora, I'm sorry." She reached over and gave her maid of honor a hug. "I've just been so worried about this day. I've been dreaming of it since I was little! I want everything to be perfect!"

"And it will be, I promise! Now, I know you don't like it, but this is all I've got! Do you think you can work with the clips? I mean, they are diamonds! I know the both of us have never been able to afford diamonds in our lives!"

They laughed, and Virginia looked again at her long, silk, white wedding dress that fit her tight at the top, and flowed openly to the bottom. It had smooth straps draping off of her shoulders, and beautiful glass slippers that matched the diamond sparkles in her hair. Smiling at herself, she said, "I think this is just about perfect!" The two laughed and hugged one last time. Tony then came in the room and told them, "It's time."

The ballroom looked elegant as Wolf stood at the alter fixing his black tie that matched his black suit, sweating profusely. Then, the music played, and in came the flower girls. They weren't just any flower girls, they were little fairies that flew side by side spreading lilac flowers over the crowd. Then, came in the first maid and groomsmen.

As they made their way to the alter, the second couple came. It was Princess Reena, and Prince Damien! Earlier, Wolf had to decide whether he wanted Damien or Wendell as his best man, so, he decided on Wendell. Reena smiled delightedly as she held onto Damien's arm. Damien did too; it was weird, to him, she wasn't all that bad as Leora thought she was.

As they stood at the alter, the best man and maid of honor stepped into the room. All the groomsmen wore a dark blue suit, and the women wore long lilac dresses with their hair up, except for Leora who wore part of it down. Throughout the walk to the alter, all she could think of was Damien. But, he wouldn't look at her. That snob Reena was giggling and smiling and waving to him from her side, and he was looking at her, completely ignoring Leora. Leora struggled to smile, but realized that one similar trait of Wolf's she had was his jealously.

"Don't sweat it Leora! I promise you, he's yours!" Wendell murmured to her as they parted. She smiled at him in thanks, but still wanted to rip the golden locks out of Reena's head as she stood beside her.

Then, the violins played, and Virginia and her father entered the room. Everyone rose, and not a person wasn't watching Virginia make her way to the alter. Overwhelmed by the sight, Wolf gasped when he saw Virginia, but Wendell give him a look to make him calm down.

It was beautiful. Wolf and Virginia could not keep their eyes apart. In her bliss, Virginia heard her father whisper to her, "Honey, I know I never got a chance to tell you before but, I love you. And even though I know there are lots of great guys out there in the world; I bet none of them would be as happy as you made that wolf."

Virginia was in tears as she kissed her father. Tony handed her to Wolf and mumbled to him, "I'm proud of you, son." And patted him on the back and went to sit down. Looking at Tony, Leora knew that _that_ was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life.

Towards the end of the marriage, Leora watched as the priest said, "You may know kiss the bride." Wolf and Virginia's lips met, and Leora couldn't help but smile. For one moment, she looked up and Damien, and he was looking back. They smiled, and then everyone cheered as the new couple came out of the ballroom.

After the ballroom was cleared, and everyone had eaten, the music began to play. Everyone was dancing and having a wonderful time, except for Leora. She had just finished talking to Tony when she went to look for Damien. But, what she saw made her want to scream. He was already dancing, with _her_. Reena laughed and smiled along with Damien, and Leora stood watching. But, as the anger built, she thought, _I'm supposed to be a lady. Be kind, nice, and polite to everyone. A Princess doesn't cut in, not from these kingdoms. Wait, hold on, but I'm from New York?_

Dancing, Reena felt something poke her shoulder. She turned and found Leora standing there, giving her an evil smile. "Hi. How are you Reena? Well, I just came over to kindly ask you if I could dance with my boyfriend? So if you don't mind-"

"Oh, believe me your highness, I wouldn't. But, it is custom at weddings that the maids dance with the groomsmen they are assigned to. Oh, silly me? How could you know about that tradition? You've only lived here for a few weeks! You're from that 10th Kingdom! Sorry, I forgot that you had lack of intelligence about our original kingdoms!" By the end of her speech, everyone was listening. And when she was through, she threw back her head and laughed. Then, she looked at Damien, and he suddenly laughed too. Then, the whole room began to laugh. They all pointed and howled at Leora. Everything began moving so fast. So, without another thought, Leora ran out of the room and out of the castle, down to the courtyard.

Wolf watched this, and watched everyone, including his bride, laugh at Leora. He didn't get it. He didn't understand. This princess, this descendent from the 6th Kingdom. _Wait!_ He thought. He suddenly left the room of laughter and went straight to the library. He rummaged through all of the books in search of something.

Then suddenly, he found it. It struck him like cupid's arrow. He set the book found and screamed out, "AHA! I've found it!" Just then, Wendell and Tony came in and said, "What are you doing in here? You've got to go?" They grabbed him and took him outside where the crowd was.

"What? What do you mean?" Wolf went with them and then saw that they were heading for a carriage where Virginia was waiting, saying goodbye to the people.

"It's time for your honeymoon, remember? You and Virginia get to go off and start making 'plans' for having children!" Tony said with a smile and disgusted look on his face.

Virginia took Wolf's hand and he looked back at Tony and Wendell, "But she's already got a wolf-cub growin' inside of her! That's all the 'planning' we need right now!"

Wendell's mouth dropped. Then, Tony fainted. Everyone waved goodbye and helped Tony come to. But Wolf frantically yelled out the window to Leora who was sitting next to the path up the road.

"Leora! Leora!" She looked up at him as he passed her in the carriage. "There is something wrong with _her_! You've got to stop it! You've got to go to the libr-" But before he could finish, Virginia took him and kissed him. Then, everything else melted away from his mind. He figured everything would work itself out; now he needed to focus on how wonderful Virginia was.

And there she sat, alone in the garden, puzzling over what Wolf said. She didn't understand a word of it, except that Reena was bad news. She had to stop whatever was going on.

"Not enjoying the party are we?" Said a somewhat chipper voice from behind her. Leora turned around and her eyes went wide. One of the most, actually, the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen was standing before her now. It was a young man of probably 20, who stood high above Leora. He had smooth black hair with green streaks through it hanging over his pale face. He had piercing green eyes that read every thought running through Leora's head. And, he wasn't as scrawny as Damien looked, he was obviously a soldier or a knight.

"Umm, I actually was about to go back in, so if you'll excuse me-" Leora got up and went past him, but he called to her.

"You know, you could've at least givin' me a better excuse than that!" Leora closed her eyes as she took in his beautiful accent. It wasn't English, nor Austrailian, but sounded Irish or Scottish, even though they weren't in Ireland.

She turned around and approached him, "And what makes you think I gave you an excuse?"

"You're nervous. You don't know me, of course you want an excuse to leave."

"This is my castle, I have to go help my guests!"

"With what? They've all gone back inside to dance! And you have servants to do that for you! You're alone just like me."

There was a long pause. Leora then realized that Damien hadn't come to find her. She looked back at the castle.

"He's in there all right. With that stuck up snob." The young man stated.

"How do you know about that?" Leora asked him puzzled.

"I'm good at knowing what people are thinking. And, I also have a skill at names."

"What do you mean? Like guessing them?"

"Yes, and something else. What they mean, their origin."

"Oh."

"Do you want me to give an example?"

"Sure, sounds interesting."

"Alright, how about that guy in there, Damien?" Leora tried to hide her look of hurting, but the man could see it.

"Well, Damien, when labeled, means harmless. Boring, if I say so myself." Leora snickered a little.

"Let's see, oh yes! Reena! That's described as the center, or the core. So, obviously she strives to be the 'center of everything!' Now, let's see, there's another one I could use. How about Leora?"

She looked up at him when he said this, and found him smiling. Leora blushed and looked back at the ground. But when she did, the young man reached over and lifted her head up and stared deeply into her eyes.

"She is the light. Everything in the world is brighter, and she casts the shadows away. She ends the night."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because you're letting me be." They stared at each other for the longest time. Then, he interrupted the silence, "I'm so sorry, we haven't been formally introduced."

"Oh, that's right. I've been standing here with a strange guy I've never seen before! Tell me sir, what is your name?"

He bowed low and stated confidently, "I am Aden of the 8th Kingdom. Wizard in training!"

"Wow, I've never met a wizard before!"

"And what is your name fair maiden?"

"Well, even though you know, I am Lady Leora of the 8th Kingdom! Princess of this land!"

She curtsied and they laughed together. Aden was so different, so weird, she liked it. He seemed like the kind of guy who made his own rules, very loose and interested in everything. And he had a bizarre sense of humor.

"So, are you going to go back inside?" He asked her.

"I don't know. I don't think Damien cares where I am. I don't think anyone cares."

"Wait just a minute! First off, I think Damiens a jerk for leading you on like that! I mean, now that he's engaged-"

"Engaged? What? I-who-huh?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear? Queen Cinderella announced a second ago, when everyone was still inside. She said that Damien and Reena were going to unite the 1st and 6th Kingdom!"

"Oh, well, congratulations to the happy couple! I hope their very beautiful together, with great hair!" Leora sat down on the bench and put her hands in her lap. Pitying her, Aden sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

"Leora, earlier when you said that no one cares about you, you were wrong. I came over here because I saw a gorgeous girl sitting all by herself letting the day pass by. And I thought I could come over and make her smile, and I'm not leaving until I see you smile!"

"I don't want to smile." Leora said honestly drying away her tears.

"Well, then, do you want to guess what my name means?"

"Oh, sure. Aden huh? Let's see, what about, um, I dunno. It's pretty hard."

"No, not as much as you think. Now, just close your eyes. Clear your mind, and think of something, anything that remotely has to do with me and my personality. What can you conjure up?"

"Well, I think I'm gonna go with, wisdom. You seem like you know a lot, and you're training to be a wizard!"

"Ha ha, that's true. But, your wrong."

"What was it then?"

"Handsome." They laughed and sat in the courtyard that day, as the sun began to set.

"So, do you want to go inside?" Aden asked her.

"You know what? For once in my life, I don't want to be so predictable. Would you stay and watch the sun set with me?"

"Your highness, there's nothing that I'd like to do more."

"You can call me Leora."

And there they sat, enjoying each other's conversation and jokes. As they talked, Damien danced with Reena, enjoying her more and more. And thinking of Leora less and less.


	20. A Rose Withered

It was almost a quarter to twelve when Leora waltzed into the castle. She had just said goodbye to Aden to go to sleep after a rather enjoyable day walking the wide courtyards of her castle. It was great, she had never met a real wizard before. She had listened to him talk about all kinds of adventures he had been on.

Humming to herself, she made her way around a corner of the hallway only to find herself bump into Damien.

"Eh, oh, sorry…" He said trailing off as he went around her, not noticing it was Leora. It was strange, he looked as though he was in a trance, like a zombie or something. So, Leora followed him and turned him around.

"What's gotten into you? You've been acting strange all day!" But he just stood there, not even looking at her.

Leora groaned angrily, and, she did something she thought she'd never do to him, again at least. She slapped Damien across the face and said, "Stop ignoring me you jerk! I'm so sick of this!"

She turned to walk away, but then she realized that he was holding her hand. She turned around and saw Damien looking at her worriedly.

"Hey, what's the matter? Is everything alright?"

"What? How can you say that? How can you pretend like everything is normal?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked confused.

"First, you were talking with Reena all during the wedding, second, you danced with her at the party, third, you LAUGHED IN MY FACE at the party, and now you're getting married to that blonde-headed arrogant swizzle stick!"

"Swizzle stick?"

"She's the skinniest person I've ever seen! It looks like she hasn't eaten in the past month!"

"Wait, what are you talking about? I never danced with Reena, I never even talked to her!"

"Don't give me that! I saw you! I tried to cut in at the party! But you two were too busy making fun of me! That stupid bimbo has done something to you!"

"Hey! Don't call her that! You don't know her Leora, she's not as ruthless as you think she is!"

"Oh I KNOW she is! And don't you tell me what I know and I don't know!"

"Obviously you don't know much at all, seeing as you're being a overly jealous stuck up witch!"

Leora glared at him, and said in but a whisper, "What did you call me?"

"A WITCH! And that's what you are!" Damien was turning red with anger.

Without a word, Leora formed a fist, pulled it back, and hit Damien square in his right eye. As he lay on the ground recovering from the blow, Leora bent over and smiled evilly.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd have to hit you again. But, since I did, I decided I'd hit you in the opposite eye than before; I hope your eyesight never comes back!"

"And if you say that I am to marry Reena, than I will! Just so I don't have to hear you're bickering ever again!"

"That's it! You know what? You won't have to! I'm leaving…tonight!" She stood up, and stomped off. Damien moaned in pain and slowly stood up. He walked around the corner and away from Leora, away from his only love.

"Ohh! I can't stand him! Him and his precious queen bee!" Leora pondered angrily on Damien and his engagement to Reena. 'He had to be lying about not knowing he was engaged, he just had to be, right?'

She stopped in her tracks. Maybe he really _didn't_ know about it. Maybe he was under a spell. Maybe Reena was evil. "Wolf! He must've meant the library!"

Without hesitation, Leora ran down the staircase to the gigantic aged library that had been in the castle for at least 200 years. Leora looked and looked through all the bookcases, but had no luck. She couldn't find anything on Reena, not a single thing that could help her.

Despairingly, Leora sat down at the large reading table and put her face in her hands. It was hopeless. Sighing, she lifted her head up to look at the clock. Five minutes 'till midnight.

'I should probably go to bed.' Leora thought.

"But I'm just not tired! And I want to find that book! I know its here some-" Leora stopped herself when she saw a large book sitting across the table, open.

"Where!" She finished. She ran over to the other side, since the table was so wide, and picked up the book. She was about to read the title at the top of the page when…

"It's in here somewhere!" She heard a voice say. Leora shut the book and ran up the staircase and hid behind one of the wooden bookshelves. Peeking her cavernous green eyes through the books, she saw Reena come into the dark room with a candle lit.

"Once I find the book, nothing can stop me!" She whispered. Leora looked down at the book she held, and knew immediately that she had what Reena was looking for.

Then, Reena came up the staircase when the candle. Leora turned around and put her back to the shelf, frozen. Reena squinted as she looked at all of the books in the section on the opposite side of where Leora was standing. She tried not to breathe, not to make a single sound. Then, the worst possible thing happened.

Leora felt her nose getting scratchy, and very bothersome. 'No, don't sneeze!' She thought to herself. It was building and building inside of her, and without warning, she blew.

"IT'S NOT HERE!" Reena screamed at the top of her lungs and Leora conveniently sneezed.

The blonde bigheaded brat growled in rage. "It's okay, it's alright! Doesn't matter, that boy is completely entranced by me! He will marry me! Damien will marry me in two weeks! And we will dance the night away at his humble abode! My plan is perfect!"

Reena snickered in her delight and left the library, and everything was dark again.

Leora came out from behind the bookcase grinding her teeth. So, it was true, they were getting married, Damien did love _her_. With a heavy heart, Leora headed back to her room.

Shutting her door, Leora looked around her room. She had chosen to live in her great grandmother's old room, Lady Aurora's room. The walls were designed with roses and the bed was a deep blue with silver drapes pulled back. Leora even had her own balcony which was open, so she could see out into the vast courtyard and beyond.

Going over to her bed, Leora realized she was still holding the book. She looked at it, admiring it's black leather cover; then set it down angrily on her bed. She didn't care anymore, she didn't love him anymore.

So, she made her decision. Leora went to her wardrobe and changed from her bride's maid outfit into a dark green velvet dress. It had long draped sleeves and black ribbon delicately woven into it. She tied the black pieces of ribbon tight at the back of her dress coming up to her mid back.

Leora looked at herself in her full-image mirror. She took the clip out of her hair and it fell gracefully down her back in ringlets. She then took her dark black silk bag and laid it on her bed. Then she took out clothes, food that she had hidden, and a map of the 9 kingdoms. She piled them onto the bed, and then stuffed them into her bag.

More and more did Leora become upset. She couldn't stand being here anymore. She didn't get the respect she deserved, from anyone. Leora was young, and she had her whole life ahead of her. She wanted to go out into the unknown land and find it, find what she was searching for. There was nothing left here, only pain.

After she wrote a note to her maid Georgina, Leora went to her open doors to her balcony and shut them behind her, trying so hard not to look back. She went up to the end of the terrace, she leaned over and cried. Tears began to fall, and Leora had no one to she the unbearable pain with.

Then suddenly, Leora felt something warm on her face. She opened her eyes to find Aden catching a tear from her eye. He wiped the others away and said softly, "I don't like to see you in so much pain."

Leora was speechless. She didn't know how he found her, where her room was, she tried to speak but she stuttered.

Aden shushed her, and said, "Are you going somewhere?" eying her bag. Without a word, she nodded.

Looking at her with his dark eyes that seemed to read every word in her head, he asked, "Can I accompany you? I'd kill myself if something were to happen to you."

He held out his hand, and Leora looked up at him earnestly. She took his hand, and he smiled at her. She smiled back. Then, she realized that her feet had left the ground. And, that Aden had been in front of her the whole time, floating fifty feet from the ground.

Gasping, Leora grabbed onto Aden. He smiled and spoke softly, "It's alright, you won't fall. I'd never let you fall." And off they flew, over the castle walls, over the courtyard, and landed deep in the forest, just the two of them.

Back in her room, Leora's bed lay barren, with nothing bright anywhere. Except, the eternal rose that Damien had given her. It was glowing very faintly; and then in a flash, it turned to darkness. The eternal rose was dead.


	21. Its all about Destiny

_A week has passed, and I've seen so many things. I've seen my entire kingdom, and now, I'm going to explore the majestic 7th Kingdom, which is run by the elves. It is so exciting, I love it there! Although, I do miss the old castle. I miss cooking with Virginia, and causing mischief with Wolf. Most of all, I miss Damien. I don't love him anymore, no. But, I do miss talking to him. Oh, Aden is coming back from the river with water. I'll write later!_

_Leora_

"Better get a move on! It's nearly dawn and we are just on the border of the 7th Kingdom!" Aden helped Leora up from the ground and handed her the jug of water.

After taking a sip, she asked him, "Why exactly do we have to be there at dawn? I mean, it's not like it's invisible or anything!"

She chuckled aloud, but then realized she was the only one chuckling. "It is there, isn't it?"

"As a matter of fact, Leora, it is an invisible kingdom…the only one actually. It is only seen at dawn and dusk. If you don't enter then, you can never enter! I suppose we'll spend a few days there. Oh! And I'll show you the Melancholy Mountains first!"

"The Melancholy Mountains?" She asked as they stood on the line between the 8th Kingdom and the 7th.

"Yes! I've never actually been there, but I hear it's got tons of magical creatures there! Fairies, centaurs, pixies. We may even bump into another wizard!"

"A less superior wizard you mean!" Leora said sarcastically.

"Of course! No one could match my power!" He bellowed dramatically. Leora smiled, and Aden smiled. They burst out laughing at his stupidity. Then, they heard a strange sound. It was like wind chimes mixed in with a flute.

The wind began to blow, and in a white flash, a beautiful door appeared. "It's the golden door!" Aden exclaimed, "I thought it was only a myth, but here it stands!"

Leora looked at the door. It was a clear crystal with a hint of rainbow in it. "Gold? You call that gold?"

"It's a diamond gold door! Very rare stone. The only way that the gem is formed, is by the purity of a soul. For example, say a child has a very sick mother, and is saddened because of her failing health. The caring and pure love for his mother will then form a small gem, the size of the pupil in your eye."

"Well, how did they get enough diamond gold for the door?"

"Simple! You see, the purity of that tiny child and the caring for his mother is small. But, the bigger the true love, the bigger the gold! It's not determined who formed this gigantic gem, but it happened long ago. Some believed it came from an entirely different kingdom…which would make sense, now that _your_ kingdom was discovered. But long before your time; it must've been someone so pure and good-hearted, like a miracle man of some sort! But hey, it's just a fairytale, right?"

Leora nodded. She touched her mother's gold necklace pondering. But then, Aden softly took her hand. "Come on, let's go!" He grabbed hold of the crystal handle, and opened the door.

A bright light came upon them, and Leora closed her eyes. Swiftly, the door closed behind them, and the light faded.

Aden squeezed her hand, and Leora opened her eyes. The sun was just peeking behind the tall, majestic mountains. They were at the edge of a wide lake, and the fog was hovering over it gracefully. Then, beams of red and orange light came out and color filled the air. They saw beautiful flowers that Leora had never even heard of before. As they walked through the meadows, she could see small fairies flying through the air.

"This is amazing!" Leora told him.

Aden beamed, "I'm glad you like it. It's nice to see your beautiful, perfect smile!" They walked deep into the forests feeling magic soaring around them.

They walked for many hours, looking for the nearest town. It took them all day to actually find another person, almost at least. Aden ran up to what seemed an elf who was out on his piece of land farming.

"Sir, do you know where I can find the nearest town, or village?"

The elf crinkled his nose and tossed some unusual beans out of his hands onto the yellow grass, "O' course I can! BrambleWood Village is just over tha' 'ill!" The old fellow pointed west towards the setting sun, and Aden thanked him and the two walked off. As soon as they did, the farmer's once yellow land grew into lush green plants and colorful flowers bigger than coconuts.

Leora and Aden came to the peek of the hill and stopped in exhaustion. She bent over and was panting. It had been a while since her last adventure, she was getting lazy.

"There it is!" Aden gasped.

They two gazed at the village, but Leora suddenly grew a puzzled look, "_This_ is a village?" Aden shrugged and they made their way into the town.

There were tall castles throughout the village, all huddled together as shops and inns. All sorts of creatures were in the cobblestone streets trying to sell items. Leora saw a dwarf trying to sell mirrors, a winged elf selling what looked like pixy dust, and a strange creature selling something that Leora had to stop and look at.

She went inside the small, dark shop and looked around her. Never in her life had she seen anything so beautiful. They were carvings, of people. There were all sorts of portraits shown in each carving. She saw one of two people standing in front of a mirror, one of a dog walking with a man, and then a particular one that showed a man and a woman kissing, however, the man had a tail. '_I wonder who that reminds me of!_'

All of a sudden, Leora felt someone was watching her. She looked up to find she was right. A very sickly looking man with green bubbly skin was looking at her from behind the counter, and smiled.

"Um, did you make all of these?" She asked.

"Aye, I did." He replied.

"They're so beautiful. You have _real_ talent!"

"Thanks, you're the second person who's said that!" He said confidently.

Leora nodded and looked down at the carvings again. "What made you carve these certain images? Its so unusual."

"I don't know really. My first carving was only a couple of months ago. One night it just came to me, these visions; like I could see into the future almost. But it was specific, dealing with certain people, certain events. That's the best I can explain."

"It's alright. That's pretty interesting. Does it scare you? These visions?" She asked.

"No. They're focused on heroes, at least, that's what I believe."

"Well, they really are beautiful. I'd buy one, but I wouldn't know which one to pick!"

"Let me pick for you," He said turning around and going to the back room. He returned with a wooden box and opened it. Holding it up to her, Leora gazed at the sculpture of two people, dancing.

"It's wonderful. But I can't take it; I don't have any money." She sighed.

The man closed the small box, and looked deeply at Leora. Then, he put it in her hands, "I believe you were meant to have this."

Taking the box, she asked, "Why?"

"Two reasons. He replied. One, you were the girl in my vision when I carved this."

"What?"

"It's true. The moment you walked through that door, I knew it. It was your destiny to walk through that door. It was my destiny to give it to you."

"Well, who is the man dancing with me?"

"Your true love."

"True love? You must be mistaken I _don't_ have a true love."

But this hasn't happened yet, remember? My visions are of the future, so of course you wouldn't know who he is, it hasn't happened yet!"

"Oh," Leora said in agreement. "But wait, you said two reasons. What's the other?"

"The other reason is because…" He trailed off.

"Because?" Leora asked impatiently.

"Because you are a hero. Every person in every kingdom is grateful to you for what you did, your highness." He bowed slightly.

At that moment, Leora was grateful no one else was in the shop. "How, how did you know?"

"It's simple." He stated, "You look just like your mother!"

With that, Leora couldn't help but smile. Just then, the entrance to the shop was open, and Aden ran in and grabbed Leora's hand. "Come on! They're having a festival outside!"

Struggling out the door, Leora asked the green man, "I never got your name!"

"It's Clayface!" He yelled after her with a grin. Then, the door shut, and Aden and Leora went off to join the celebration.

Fireworks were going off. Everyone was dancing around and playing music. There was even a feast for all of the village folk. Finding a seat at one of the tables on the grassy lawn overlooking the entire town, the couple happily feasted on all sorts of food, seeing that they hadn't eaten a decent meal in over a week.

"Mus is greap!" Leora said with a mouthful of food. Aden nodded in agreement. Then, he looked over a saw an old goblin lighting the fireworks for all the children.

"Be right back!" He said jumping out of his seat to go see is he could help with the fireworks. Leora wiped her mouth after finishing and laughed as she watched Aden try to light fireworks. She wiped the excess crumbs off of her dark green velvet dress just as a young man came up to her.

"May I have this dance?" He said with an outstretched hand. He was an elf! He had pointed ears, white-blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, wearing a dark blue suit, but oddly didn't have any shoes on. Leora smiled at him; this had never happened to her before. She had never been asked by a rather extremely cute boy she had never met to dance with before.

'_What should I say? Should I say yes? Oh, I don't know! Would Aden mind? What? Why does that matter? It's not like we're 'together' or anything! I'm not held down by anyone, I can dance with whoever I want; especially with a guy this cute!'_

Slipping off her shoes, "I would be delighted!" She said smoothly. She gave her his hand and he lightly kissed it, bowing. She curtsied, and they went off to dance with the crowd in the grass. The song was lively and fast, and Leora was happy to learn that the elf's way of dancing wasn't practiced, but spontaneous and fun.

Leora giggled and laughed as she jumped around the circle holding the elf's hands. The fireworks were shooting off, and everyone was having a wonderful time. Leora thought it would never end.

Then out of no where, someone took Leora by the shoulder. She turned to see it was Aden, who pushed her away from the elf boy. He went straight up to the elf and punched him across the face. Aden hit him so hard that the elf fell to the ground. The music stopped, and everyone stared in silence.

And Aden yelled enviously, "Don't you dare touch her!"

Leora went up to Aden calmly, "It's alright Aden! He wasn't trying to hurt me! We were just dancing!"

"NO! It's not alright! He can't touch you! He can't dance with you!" He turned back the elf who slowly rose from the ground. "She's mine! You stay away from her!" The elf's eyes narrowed towards Aden. Leora couldn't believe her ears.

"Hold it right there! _What_ did you just say?" Looking at Aden.

"I said you're mine!" He yelled. Everyone looked at him, then at her.

"And what makes me your property?" She asked curiously.

"What do you mean? You're my girl! You're my princess, my destiny!"

"Your _what_?"

"My destiny! My father, Marlo the Wizard, on his deathbed, told me my destiny. That I would bring forth the purest true love ever seen in all the ten kingdoms! And that I would marry a princess. And not just any princess, but the most beautiful princess that I would first meet at a wedding! That is you, Leora."

'_That's it, I've had it!'_ She thought. And the next moment, Leora screamed at the top of her lungs. She was heard throughout the village, throughout the kingdom. Wendell and Tony were talking in the House of White and heard the sound. Reena was trying on her wedding dress when she heard the strange sound. And even Damien, admiring a rose on his balcony, heard it.

"Destiny! It's all about destiny with you people! Ever since the beginning of this summer I've been consumed with it! First, it was my aunts destiny to die to save me, then it was Wolf's and Virginia's destiny to help me save the kingdoms, and it was destiny for me to be a princess and have so many problems! And you all want to know why? Because it was my destiny to come here! To this world! Yeah, I've made a couple of friends along the way, and it sure beats sitting in a book shop reading for the rest of my life! No, wait, actually, I think I'd rather enjoy that better than to have you all bother me with your issues and desires and problems! I want it to stop! I want…peace…" Leora became so upset that she fell to the ground, fainted.

Aden began to go over to wake her up, but he felt something sharp at his neck. He turned to see the elf had his bow and arrow pointed right at him. "Stay away from her!" He said gravely. Aden took a step back with his hands in the air. The young elf went over to Leora and said something in another language to and elf girl about his age. They talked, and then he lifted her up, and carried her away. The whole crowd followed him and left the grassy knoll barren, with only Aden standing there, completely confused.

"But we're meant to be together."


	22. Just Once A Month

"MMMmmm…" Leora slowly opened her eyes, lazily looking around. She was back home, in New York, in her bedroom. She smelled something good from the hallway, and decided to get out of her warm bed to go see what it was. Aunt Connie was at the stove, cooking Leora a ham and cheese omelet. However, she didn't look as she normally did, she had white glowing wings.

Connie looked up from the breakfast, with a somber face, "See." She simply said. Then in a flash, three hooded goblins came in and tore the apartment apart. Then, Leora watched as they killed her fairy godmother, Constance.

Leora screamed and started to run, and in no time she ran straight into a castle, and down a hallway. It was white everywhere, and then she came two a double wooden door. She stopped, and looked at the golden handles. She saw her reflection in them, and turned the handle…

"Leora! Princess Leora! Are you alright?" The elf from the other night was gently shaking Leora's shoulders, until she finally woke up. She looked at him, then looked around the room. It was strange, the entire room was in a cylinder shape and made out of wood, but was cozy.

"What happened?" Leora wondered as she held her head that ached. She sat up in the quilted bed.

"You were dreaming. I would've left you asleep, that was, until _it_ started."

"What?"

"The singing, you were chanting something…" He trailed off.

Leora leaned towards him gravely, "Chanting what?"

The elf sighed, "It's a chant that I've only heard from stories. Stories about the Melancholy Mountains. For hundreds of years, people in BrumbleWood believed to hear the terrible beast chant it, a song. But it stopped, it stopped…"

"Tell me, please." She asked earnestly.

"It stopped, seventeen years ago."

Leora's eyes grew wide. She didn't believe it, she couldn't. She didn't want to hear this anymore, so- "I'm starving! Where can I get some food around here?"

A little while later, Aden came to the tall sycamore tree in the center of the town. It was a lodge, called, _The Treehouse Inn_. He knocked on the door, and it was immediately answered, by none other than the young elf man from the night before.

He was about to close the door on Aden's face when, "No! No! Please! I-I'm sorry about the way I acted last night. It was rude of me! Please, can I see her?"

Slowly, the elf nodded and let him in. Aden searched around the room for any sign of Leora. Then, over in the dining room, he found her gobbling down as much food as she could. He crossed the room and sat down at the table across from her.

"Listen, Leora, I am profoundly sorry for what I said last night. I never meant to spoil your good time. I'm probably wrong about the whole destiny thing, I mean, things can't always be predicted, right?"

Leora nodded still eating mountains of food. But Aden ignored it and continued, "Andto make it up to you, I'll finally take you to the Melancholy Mountains!"

The whole room went completely silent. Everyone stared at Aden, including the elf. Leora swallowed down her food and laughed, "Oh Aden, you can you're silly jokes! Ha ha HA!" She over exaggerated.

Everyone then went back to their conversations. Aden looked at her confused, and she signaled him to lean in and she whispered, "I learned just this morning that the Melancholy Mountains have spooked the town stiff! No one really talks about it, unless completely necessary."

Aden nodded in understanding. "So, do you not want to go now?"

"Are you kidding? I want to go now more than ever!!!" She smiled and continued once again to devour her breakfast.

Aden put some of the food in his sack and looked at Leora disgustedly, "Do you always eat like that?"

"Yes! Does that bother you?" Leora said some what snappy.

"Uh, well, it, um, no. It doesn't." And he kept his thoughts to himself.

After breakfast was over, Leora collected her things and began to leave with Aden. He shook the elf's hand and apologized again for punching him.

"It's alright, didn't leave a mark!" The elf said.

Then, Leora went up to him. She leaned over and kissed the elf on the cheek. "Thank you for being so kind to me. I hope your new inn is a great success. Goodbye Legolas!" And they headed out of the treehouse. Legolas watched them leave the town and head past the hills and towards the Melancholy Mountains. "Good luck." He whispered.

"Wow! This stuff is great? What is it?" Leora chewed as they walked through the tall grass of the hillsides.

"It's lamb-chop jerky. I hear it's quite popular with the dwarves. Living in those caves for so long." Aden said. They had been walking all day, it was right after sunset, and the stars were beginning to show.

They walked along and Leora happily ate the jerky. But then, Aden added something, "I hear that wolves love it too. It's disgusting!"

Leora looked grimly at Aden, "Why do you say that?"

"I mean, it's bad enough they steal flocks of lamb and eat it right off the bone! Now they're trying to act civilized and eat lamb-jerky! It's pathetic!"

The moon was slowly coming out from behind the dark clouds, and neither of them bothered to look up. Leora grunted at Aden.

He believed she was agreeing, and kept talking, "Its sad enough that they try to blend in with the rest of us, but they're just greedy," Leora's muscles tensed, "Filthy," Her sharp fangs grew, "Lowlife creatures that roam our kingdoms…like monsters!" Finally, Leora's eyes grew red, and she was flaming in anger.

Looking up at the moon, she howled into the night. Aden, who had been walking in front of her the entire time, turned around in pure shock. Leora, his princess, was a werewolf! 'How could I have missed _this_?' He thought. He gasped, and that made Leora turn and face him, grinning.

"Uh…Leora! You really don't want to do that, now _do_ you?" He began to slowly back away, holding his hands desperately in front of him.

Growling, she slurred, "Oh, but I really REALLY do!" And she got in a position, ready to charge. Aden winced, and Leora charged him. He screamed and run as fast as his feet would carry him.

He ran through the trees, not even thinking of looking back. 'How am I this stupid? How can I be so scared? She's just a little girl…right?' He looked behind him, and saw Leora was gaining fast, and in rage. "AHH!" He screamed higher than any soprano in a 6th grade girls' choir could go. Missing the sight of a branch on the ground, Aden tripped and fell fast, only stopped by an oak tree behind him.

Sitting there, he tried to bring his eyes into focus. After getting the dust out of his eyes, he looked up, and saw Leora coming close to him. She moved closer, and closer, and then raised her long nails, ready to slash him. Tears were forming in the boy's eyes, and Leora's hand flew down quick, and…….

And that's all for now folks! Sorry, but I'm stopping there! Hahaha! I love making you guys anxious! I get a kick out of it every time! Please be kind in your review! I'm just kidding around! That's all until next time! Fairytale Dreamer


	23. Beauty in the Beast

Sitting there, he tried to bring his eyes into focus. After getting the dust out of his eyes, he looked up, and saw the wolf coming close to him. She moved closer, and closer, and then raised her long nails, ready to slash him. Tears were forming in the boy's eyes, and the wolf hand flew down quick, and…….

However, even though he was sitting there, as soon as he dusted his eyes, he thought of an idea. He closed his eyes and began to mutter things, and the wolf slashed her hand at him.

Clang! As soon as the wolf had moved it's claws to slash, it hit hard metal, or at least that's what it felt like. The wolf looked into the boys eyes, nothing was between them. So, the wolf struck again. Clang! It hit the same steel twice. Again and again and again! Then, it realized what had happened. It was in a cage of some sort. The wolf kicked and punched all four corners of it, discovering it was like a clear metal box.

The wolf howled into the night, and Aden slowly stood up. Then, the wolf noticed something it hadn't noticed about Aden before. His eyes were glowing green. He stood there, hand stretched towards the beast, holding it in. The wolf's eyes glowed red at the wizard, ready to rip his body apart.

Then, the boy said something slowly and softly, in another language. The wolf didn't understand a word of it, but only felt, sleepy. The wolf's eyes grew heavy, and it collapsed on the ground cold.

The next morning came quick, and Leora rose from her slumber. Her head ached and she felt bruised with cramps. 'What happened last night?" She wondered. But then, she looked down at her velvet dress. The sleeves were torn, and the bottom of the dress was too. She was covered with dirt and her hair was a mess.

"Ah! Finally up are we?" Aden came from behind the oak tree carrying logs. He was finishing up a fire. With a swift motion of the left hand, the fire was lit. "Sorry I didn't get you breakfast; I didn't know whether you wanted lamb or chicken. Raw of course!" He said foully.

Leora immediately knew what had happened last night. It was a full moon, she must've attacked Aden! "Aden, I'm so sorry about last night! I usually can control it, but, I forgot to bring along some magic powder when we left the castle."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me what you really are?" He said nastily.

"Because of that right there!" She pointed at him.

"What?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react this way!"

Aden looked at her bewildered out of his mind, "What do you mean the way I'm reacting?" He yelled.

"You're yelling at me!"

"NO I'M NOT!!!" Birds flew out of the trees. Deer ran away; everything then stood still. Aden was breathing heavily from his anger. Leora crossed her arms in satisfaction.

"Okay, okay! Maybe I am overacting a _little_!" Aden admitted.

"A _little_?" Leora narrowed her eyes.

"Ey! You tried to kill me, remember? Gave me a good ran for my money that's for sure!" Aden pulled out a small loaf of bread and started to eat it. Leora left the tree and sat down next to him. She gave him a sad puppy face and he tore off half of his breakfast and gave it to her.

"Let's call it even, alright?" Leora said softly.

"Agreed." Aden looked over at her, and couldn't help but grow a faint smile. Leora then smiled sweetly back.

Finishing his bread, he looked into the fire and wondered, "Does it hurt?" He finally said.

"What do you mean?"

"When you turn into…you know. The beast."

"Yes." Leora suddenly felt very ashamed. _Beast_. She pondered the word for a few minutes. But then, something struck her. "No." She stood up and looked down at him.

"Aden, I understand what you saw last night was scary-"

"Terrifying." He corrected her.

"Alright, but, it's something I was born with. It's apart of me as much as me being part human. And…" She trailed off.

"And?" Aden stood up and brought her face up with his finger. She looked into his eyes.

"And, as a…princess." Leora struggled to say the word, but she did. "So yeah, I'm a werewolf princess! Is that apart of your destiny? You told me your father said that you would meet your true love at a wedding, and that she would be a princess. She would be perfect. Aden, I'm not that girl. I'm not perfect. Even last night you said you saw-"

"I saw a lost, frightened, young girl. Listen, Leora I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying those things to you. It's just that I've never been so nervous or jealous or irritated in all my life. I love you Leora."

Her eyes grew wide. Wider than a bullfrog's throat. Leora tried to keep her eyes from Aden, she looked at anything else. She looked at the soft, dark lake nearby; the fog rising over the water; the fireflies glowing throughout the air before the sunrise. The flashed green, but then, the suddenly turned into Aden's eyes.

"Aden…" She said in but a whisper. He stopped her by putting a finger to her lips.

"You don't need to say anything. Just be with me." He took a hold of her hands, and stared deeply into her eyes.

Leora had no idea what to do. She didn't know what she was thinking, or even feeling. Aden was charming, and very _very_ handsome. But still, she was confused. She noticed that the fire went out, and that the forest was still very dark. And the trees were very small. 'Wait, small? Their oak trees, and their getting smaller-' Leora gasped. They were floating higher and higher.

They were way above the ground when she finally managed to speak, "Uh, Aden? Are you just leaving our things down there? We might not find them again."

"I've already taken care of that." He said pointing at their floating sacs next to them.

"Oh." Leora said in some what of a shock. She still wasn't used to the fact that Aden could fly.

"Let go of one of my hands." He said.

"What?" Her eyes bulged.

"Trust me princess!" He comforted her.

"Okay, but if I die, you will have to deal with Wolf!" And she let go of his left hand. The wind pushed her back and she was now flying, next to Aden of course, since she was cutting off his circulation to his hand.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Right there!" He pointed straight ahead of them at three tall mountains covered in snow.

"The Melancholy Mountains!" Leora gasped. The steadily flew through the air and landed on the side of the second mountain.


	24. Into the Darkness we go

Snow flakes fell fast from the grey sky, and all Leora could feel was cold swirling. She was spinning and spinning in the snow, eyes closed in happiness. She loved the snow. She breathed in the frosty air and smiled.

"Umm, I really _really_ hate to interrupt this most beautiful sight, but, you need to change. You'll catch your death." Aden said taking Leora inside the entrance to the cave on the side of the mountain.

"Here, find something to wear." He gave her the dark violet bag. She opened it and searched for a dress.

"Ah, this'll do!" Leora said pulling out a scarlet dress. She stood up, and looked at Aden. He looked back some what confused, but then her mind clicked with his.

"Oh, right! I'll just go and wait outside, ha!" He said foolishly. "Real smooth Aden! _Real_ smooth!" He said to himself in the snow.

Leora tied the two red ribbons up in front making her stomach tight. She really loved the feeling that she could make herself look skinner. She looked down at herself, admiring her dress. 'I feel just like…well, Sleeping Beauty!' She said in her head.

She leaned down and put her torn green dress back into her sac. But, as soon as she did, she felt something. Something, hard.

Aden stood twiddling his thumbs outside, looking out at the blowing snow. But then, he heard, "Aden!" and hurried inside.

"What is it my princess?" He asked. But then, he saw her holding a book. A very big book.

"I brought it back to my room that night. I put it on my bed, and must've packed it in with everything else; since I threw everything on the bed!"

Aden nodded, "Well, let's have a look, shall we?" He opened the book and started to read.

He skimmed through the pages, flipping here and there. "It's a history book." He stated.

"A _what_?" Leora said in disbelief.

"A history book. About the history of the nine kingdoms. It's a renowned book. Gives biographies of each of the rulers, knights, wizards, heroes. I've read it a few times. Quite interesting."

"I found it laying out on the library table. On a certain page. Oh, but I shut it!"

"Wait, there's a book mark!" Aden said flipping the mark over to a couple hundred pages more. But, before the read, the two of them heard a very disturbing, awful sound.

It was like a moan, or a gigantic growl of some sort. Obviously, it was…

"The beast!" The two gasped. They immediately put the book and their belongings away, and looked into the dark cave. It was a very long tunnel, with no light.

"There's no way I'm going in there!" Aden exclaimed.

Just then, Leora became light headed, and was becoming very dizzy. "What's wrong?" Aden asked. She kept rocking back and forth, then, she fell to the ground cold.

"Leora! Leora! Stop it please! Oh, finally! You're awake! You could've gotten us eaten!" Aden whispered.

Leora woke holding her head. It throbbed terribly. "What happened? Why were you telling me to stop?" She whispered.

"You were singing at the top of your lungs! I'm amazed the beast didn't hear you!"

"Singing?" Leora suddenly thought of the elf back in BramleWood. She knew it must've been the same song. Slowly, Leora stood up and picked up her sac. She took out a dagger she had hidden inside and tied it around her waist with it's belt.

"What are you doing?" Aden panicked.

"I'm going in there." She said looking into the deep black tunnel.

"Oh, no you're not!" Aden stood in front of her and crossed his arms. Leora smiled sweetly up at the tall wizard.

"Either move like a gentleman, or be moved. And I promise you, I've made boys twice your height cry!" She said cracking her knuckles.

Aden quickly moved aside, "Fine! Go!" Leora curtsied mockingly and began to walk away.

He watched her go, and finally made up his mind, "Wait! Wait; I'll go too. Here, we'll need this." He went over to the side of the cave and found a large bone. He tied a piece of a shirt from his bag and held it out in front of him. His eyes began to glow a bright green, then suddenly, the cloth began to burn.

They started to walk into the tunnel when Leora mentioned, "You know, you could make lots of money in Las Vegas!"

"What's Las Vegas?" He asked. Leora chuckled and they disappeared into the tunnel.

"HONEY I'M HOME!" Wolf said bouncing into the Sleeping Castle. He put his things down and a servant took them. He ran through the castle heading straight towards Leora's quarters.

"Oh little sis! Where are you?" He ran up the stairs and around the corners, dodging butlers and maids as he went. Sliding, he stopped in front of her door. He burst the doors open and jumped into the room, "LEO-"

He stopped as he opened his eyes, "-ORA?" He walked around the room and hunted every corner of it. She wasn't there, he knew this because her room was spotless. He opened the balcony doors and looked outside into the sun. Nothing.

Standing at the doorway was Virginia, "She's not here Wolf."

Wolf turned and went straight up to her, "What do you mean she's not here?"

"I have two things to show you that I just received." She said almost in tears. She handed Wolf a piece of parchment and Wolf read it. It was the letter that Leora wrote to her made almost two weeks ago, the night they left for their honeymoon.

"Oh! Why would she leave? What would make sweet happy Leora ever want to leave?" Wolf had such a spectacular honeymoon that he forgot all about the wedding party.

Then Virginia gave him another note. It was a card, and Wolf opened it. After reading it, his face turned red. He ripped up the letter which had read:

_To Sir Wolf and Lady Virginia,_

_We courtly invite you to join us at_

_A very special Wedding_

_It will commence at 12 O'clock this Sunday_

_At Queen Cinderella's Castle_

_1st Kingdom_

_This will align the 1st and 6th Kingdoms as one_

_We hope you will join us at the crowning of _

_The future King Damien and Queen Reena_

Wolf went out onto Leora's balcony following her trail with his nose. He smelled the air, and realized that she wasn't alone. Virginia tried to come and comfort him, but as soon as she saw his face she took a few steps back and covered her ears. Wolf abruptly let out a tremendous howl.

Leora looked back behind her and swore she heard the cry of a wolf. But then, the growling of the beast grew larger, and she knew she had to go to it. Then, the two saw at the end a brilliant light. Leora began to run, and Aden desperately followed her.

Then suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and Aden came running into her. Getting up from the cold ground, Aden was about to speak, but Leora covered his mouth. She put a finger to her lips and tip toed onward.

They were right next to a gigantic whole. It was about one hundred feet deep and scorching bright. They couldn't see anything, only the brightness. They moved closer to the hole, and got right behind a rock and quietly peeped over. Hearing a final growl, they gawked as they looked onto the beast which both of them feared.


	25. The Dragon

Aden and Leora gazed upon the creature in both terror and amazement. "It's a Fire Dragon!" He whispered in the softest possible voice he could muster.

Leora couldn't believe her eyes. She had seen a dragon before; back when the Ice Queen turned into a black one, but nothing as magnificent as this.

The flaming crimson scaled beast stood over eighty feet tall. It had black spikes sticking straight out of its back all the way from its head to its bulky tail. Its eyes were yellow and its ears were pointed and jet black. It had claws the size of Clydesdale horses. Its stomach was a bright yellow matching its great jagged teeth. There it lay in the gigantic hole of the Melancholy Mountains.

"I've never heard of this beast before this past week! I wonder what its story is! Do you think it's a nice dragon?" Aden asked her.

"Keep your voice down!" Leora whispered.

"Oh, it can't hear me from all the way up here. We're perfectly safe!" He slammed his hand on the stone which they stood behind. Aden smiled as he looked at Leora. But what they failed to realize was that the dragon had heard them, and was now slowly standing.

"I think that this beast is just as threatening as a tiny mouse! Ha! I bet I could cage it with my magic in no time at all! He's really not that big-" Aden trailed off as he noticed two very large yellow eyes looking straight at him.

Leora froze and didn't make a sound. The dragon looked straight at Aden, just watching him try to make a move; ten feet from his face. Aden stood completely still; trying so hard not to move or make a sound. Then, he suddenly felt his nose beginning to itch.

'NO! NO! NOT NOW!' He thought in his head. He tried and tried to hold it in, but it was already too late. "ACHOO!" And snot went flying into the dragon's eye. He and Leora looked at each other. The dragon growled making the two of them deaf. "Bless you!" Leora said as she ran away.

"AHHHH!" Aden ran for his life as the dragon chased him around the cave. He ran through the path around the hole and the dragon still being down in it followed him with difficulty. Then, the dragon took a deep breath and out flew a ball of fire. Aden looked back at the gaining flames and screamed. And failing to see the collapsing hole in front of him, he fell through.

Leora gasped as she watched Aden fall to his death. She closed her eyes, she couldn't watch. Then, she heard a very loud splash. Leora opened her eyes and looked down in the dragons hole that Aden had landed in a giant lake in the cave. Aden laughed as he swam through the cave. But then, the Fire Dragon slumped its head low and followed Aden into the lake; now much taller than him.

"LEORA!!!" Aden shrieked as he swam for his life. Leora, still up on the higher floor, looked around for anything that would be of use. She took a look at the dagger that she held, then looked at the dragon. "I'm gonna need something much bigger!" And she ran over to a skeleton wearing an armor suit and took his silver sword.

She looked up into the center, and saw dangling moss that had grown there for a very long time. Taking a deep breath, Leora ran off the ledge and grabbed hold of the moss. She swung down and landed in the dragon's pit. Without hesitating, she ran into the dark cave that the dragon's tail had just slithered into.

Leora looked around for Aden, but couldn't find him or the beast anywhere. Then, she heard his cowering, just as he did when she was a werewolf.

"Please! Please don't kill me! I'm just a poor defenseless wizard!" Aden said on his hands and knees as the dragon slowly corned him into a wall in the shallow water.

'I've got to do something! But what? Damien killed the Ice Queen by throwing a sword into her heart, but I didn't even make the softball team at my school! No, I need another way!' She thought about everything; everything she had learned since her adventure began back in New York.

She learned about her half-brother Wolf; her guiding friend Virginia; her aunt who was actually Fairy Constance; Damien, who broke her heart in two; Virginia's dad Tony; King Wendell; the panicking wizard Aden; the evil Princess Reena, the goblin from the 7th Kingdom; and a very helpful elf who told her about the beast in the first place…

'That's it!!! That's got to be it! Please, please, please let it work!' Leora closed her eyes and immediately began to think about her dream. She concentrated and prayed that she would remember, and then it hit her.

As the great Fire Dragon crept in on Aden; Aden closed his eyes and prayed, "God, please have mercy! I don't wanna die! I don't want to be eaten by the dragon with-"

He looked up and saw the dragon now right in his face. "The extremely large teeth!" He closed his eyes and bent down low as the dragon opened his jaw wide.

But then, both the monster and the wizard heard something. It was faint at first, then it began to grow.

"It's beautiful!" Aden whispered. Both he and the beast turned their heads and saw Leora standing in the water, holding her sword with her hands at her waist. Her eyes were closed tight, and she was humming. She started out humming, and then began to sing. There were no words, just a melody. It was a beautiful, but sad melody. Aden watched her dreamily; then noticed that the dragon was no longer in his face or near him for that matter. He looked over and saw the dragon approaching Leora as quietly as it could.

"NO!" Aden said. Finishing the song, Leora calmly opened her eyes. Then, she froze. The Fire Dragon was but a foot away from her face. It exhaled in her face, and even with the tremendous gust, she didn't move a muscle. She looked into the beast's yellow eyes, and it looked right back into hers.

Aden was frozen back in the corner watching. He didn't know what to do; he didn't have any spells that could work on dragons as big as this! So, he stood petrified; watching his love face the beast.

The dragon made a low growl, warning the girl. But, she did not move; she still looked intensely into the monster's eyes. Then, the dragon slammed its tail hard on the ground, making waves throughout the cave. The princess didn't even flinch. Then, the dragon's head rose, not taking its eyes off of her.

"Leora." Looking quite confused, Leora leaned over and looked behind the dragon at Aden.

"Did you say that?" She asked him.

"I-I didn't say anything! But I sure heard _someome_ say something!" He said backing further into the corner.

"I did." The dragon declared. Leora looked in amazement. Aden's jaw dropped.

"Y-you?" she asked.

"Yes, I think that's been established already!" It replied.

"How-how do you know my name?"

"Because," The dragon said leaning close to Leora. Its tail swooped around and came to Leora's neck. It lifted her necklace out from under her top, "I named you. I even gave you that." And it quickly let go of her.

Aden looked from the dragon to Leora over and over. "Wa wa wa?" was all he could say.

"How is that possible?" Leora asked.

"It's a very long story." The dragon told her, "We should at least begin by an introduction!"

"Okay," Leora agreed, "Umm, I'm Leora…Cranston. But you already know that don't you? Well, that cowering baby in the corner is Aden, he's a wizard!"

"I'm not a baby!" Aden said approaching her.

Leora smirked at him, then looked up at the dragon, "And who are you?"

Taking two giant steps back, the dragon stated, "I am Leviathan, the only Fire Dragon left in all the nine kingdoms; and the guardian of you, Princess Leora!"

Leora and Aden looked at each other speechless, then back at the eccentric dragon. They couldn't believe their ears.

"What?"


	26. One Intense Chapter

"Leviathan? That's your name?" Aden said. He laughed a little bit, but stopped once he looked up watching the dragon blow smoke into the wizards face.

"Uh, sorry!"

"Here, come with me!" The dragon said leaning his head over. The two looked at each other and hazily jumped onto his neck. The dragon then took them back into the moss entangled room and set them down on a giant stone platform next to him. Leora looked over at Aden, and swore he had tears in his eyes.

"Are you crying?" She whispered to him.

"What? No! Don't be ridiculous!" Aden said turning his back on her. He secretly wiped tears from his face.

Sitting down, Leora rubbed her head, "I'm still trying to soak this all in. You're my guardian? Why? How could that be-"

"If you would shut your mouth and listen to me, maybe I'd tell you!" The dragon snapped.

"Sorry." She mumbled rolling her eyes.

"No your not! You just rolled your eyes at me!" The dragon stated.

"No I did not!" Leora said putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes you most certainly did!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

" 'yes way!' "

"Don't mimic me!"

"STOP!!!" Aden yelled putting his arms out between them. "You've only known each other for five minutes and already your acting like two bickering old queens! Would you sot it?"

"Fine!" Leora said offensively, "He's right. We're already acting like family. Anyways, you're my guardian?"

"Yes. It all started twenty years ago. I was wandering the outskirts of the 8th Kingdom when I was met by two huntsmen. They greeted me with politeness and offered some of their food generously. However, what I didn't know was that they were plotting to kill me and sell my body to an art dealer, believing it would bring them great wealth. Well, after an hour of eating or so, I started to feel exhausted. That's when I fell asleep. The ghastly men had put sleeping potion in my food, and tied me with chains and irons.

"When I came to, I struggled to get free, but nothing helped. I tried to burn them with my fire, but I realized they had clasped my snout together! I growled and growled, but it seemed no one was around for miles. The huntsmen pulled out their knives, and I closed my eyes. But then, nothing happened; I didn't feel anything cut into me! When I opened my eyes, there was a young girl there; she told the men to stop at once or she would arrest them. They laughed, and she whistled. Men came out from the woods, and arrested them on the spot. Taking the keys from the huntsmen, the girl came over to me and soothingly talked to me.

"She was the nicest person that I had ever met. And since she saved my life, I promised her that whenever she needed me, she could come to my mountain caves and sing my song. It is the Song of Sorrow. I have been singing it for years, and vowed I would until one day, I would find the meaning of my life. Well, soon enough, that day occurred, when you were born Leora.

"I was enjoying the peace and quiet here when I heard a most beautiful yet sad sound. It was Harmony. But, she wasn't alone; she was with Fairy Constance, and you. Also, she was very, very upset. Well, the poor girl told me her story; about her lost love and finding out she was pregnant. She was scared because her parents had long since past, and she had no one to watch over you if anything would happen to her.

"Thus, on that day, Fairy Constance and I decided that she would take care of you; and if something happened to her, I would watch over you. And as soon as they left, I myself made a present for you. Hence, I flew straight to your mother's castle and gallantly strode up to her holding you in your royal courtyard and presented you with this, your very own locket. I told your mother to name you Leora, for it means the single light in the darkness; and that is what you were and still are to me. You were brought into this world Leora, and you gave me a reason to live. When I first laid eyes on you my dear, I no longer sang the Song of Sorrow."

Leora looked down at her necklace. She gazed at the initial 'L' on top of it. She smiled, then said to the dragon, "Thank you."

"For what?" He replied.

"For being so kind to me, and, to my…" She trailed off.

The dragon immediately leaned towards her, "My dear, your mother was the most elegant and sweetest lady I have ever met. She was brave and honest, and she was the best queen anyone had ever seen. Furthermore, she had the prettiest smile throughout the nine kingdoms; just like yours."

Leora couldn't help but grin. "You to had better get some rest. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight…wait! Levi-levr-uh, Leviathan?" Leora asked.

"Yes?"

"Umm, two things actually! First, could you hand us our things? We left them just up there-" In seconds the dragon slid his tail onto their platform with their bags.

"And the second?" He asked.

"Can I call you something umm, easier to remember? Like, Levi?"

"I guess that's alright." The dragon said.

"Awesome! Just like the jeans!" Leora chuckled. Both the beast and Aden looked at her bewildered.

"What do you mean?" Aden asked.

"Oh! Uh, nothing! I'll tell you guys in the morning! It might take a while to explain!" And the dragon curiously stomped off to the other side of the cave.

About an hour later, Aden had one of his magically powered fires going. Leora rubbed her shoulders from the cold and clammy cave. Seeing this, Aden moved closer to her and began rummaging around in his sac.

"Here, I have something that will help!" And out he pulled a long black velvet cloak.

He put it around her and Leora marveled at it, "Wow, this is nice Aden!"

"Aye, it's a holocaust cloak!"

"A holocaust clock? Where have I heard of one of those before-" But she trailed off, giggling to herself.

"What's so funny?" Aden asked.

"It's nothing. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me!" He said narrowing his eyes seriously.

"Okay. Back in New York, you know, the 10th Kingdom; there was this thing called a movie and there was a certain movie that had one of these in there. But you wouldn't kn-"

"The Princess Bride." He said looking into the fire.

"What?!?" Leora looked square in his eye with amazement.

"The-Princess-Bride. I know it. It's a good movie."

"Wha wha wha? How do you know? That's impossible! You live here! You've lived here forever!"

"Well, yes, and no. Once the famous four saved the kingdoms, I decided to use my magic and check this new kingdom out. And besides all the great food, my favorite thing about your kingdom is the movies! At least, the good ones like that one!"

"Woah! But hey, earlier, when I said that thing about the jeans, why didn't you-"

"I didn't want the dragon the catch onto me! Plus, I shouldn't even be telling you this. It's forbidden to use teleporting. If I got caught, I'd be hanged!"

"Oh, that's a bummer!" Leora said shrugging.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Aden said, looking deeply into Leora's eyes.

"Of course not." She promised. She looked down at the fire, "If I said, 'You mock my pain!' what would you say?"

"'Life is pain highness! Anyone who says differently is selling something!'" The two laughed.

Letting the smile fade, Leora suddenly thought of something, "Aden?"

"Yes?"

"You know you're not as brave you say you are."

"What? Of course I am! I-"

"Screamed and ran away from poor old Levi over there!" She pointed.

He sighed, and threw some gravel into the fire, "Aye. You're right. I am a coward!"

Leora put a hand on his shoulder, "No, it's okay. I just need to know something."

"Anything." He replied.

"In the future, as we travel this land, will you still be here? No, that's not it. What I mean is, will you still stay by me? Even if we encounter terrible danger; and even if I _am_ the bravest of the two of us, will you not abandon me?"

Leora and Aden were very, _very_ close now. She eagerly stared into his mysterious green eyes. And he stared right back.

And, without a hesitation, Aden told her those three words, "As you wish."

Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. Then, at the next moment, Aden leaned in and kissed Leora. She closed her eyes in confusion, not knowing what to do. Yes, it was romantic, and he was _extremely_ handsome, but still, she didn't know what to think.

She slowly parted from his lips, and saw his curl into a smile. She struggled a smile herself, and whispered, "Goodnight." And stood up, went over to her bag, and laid down, using it as a pillow.

Aden watched her silently from the fire. He was still grinning. The fire suddenly burned red and grew a few feet taller. Until, he waved his hand and it died away. He himself leaned back and went to sleep, dreaming of his princess. However, Leora did not dream of her wizard.

"MMMmmm…" Leora slowly opened her eyes, lazily looking around. She was back home, in New York, in her bedroom. She smelled something good from the hallway, and decided to get out of her warm bed to go see what it was. Aunt Connie was at the stove, cooking Leora a ham and cheese omelet. However, she didn't look as she normally did, she had white glowing wings.

"Wait, I was here before. This already happened before!" Leora panicked.

Connie looked up from the breakfast, with a somber face, "See." She simply said. Instead of standing there, Leora went up to her aunt and shook her by the shoulders.

"See what? I don't understand this!"

Then in a flash, three hooded goblins came in and tore the apartment apart. Then, Leora watched as they killed her fairy godmother, Constance.

"NOO!" Leora screamed and then she started to run, and in no time she ran straight into a castle, and down a hallway. It was white everywhere, and then she came two a double wooden door. She stopped, and looked at the golden handles. She saw her reflection in them, and turned the handle…

This time, her dream didn't end. As the door opened, Leora disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. She looked around and all she could see was smoke. Coughing and fanning it out of her face, she looked around in astonishment. She was back in the 8th Kingdom, back with Wolf, Virginia, and Damien. She heard a roar and looked up at Molefescent, now in the form of the Black Dragon

They were hiding behind a boulder and tried to form a plan, but Wolf stopped everyone.

"There's nothing we can do! No matter what that thing is going to kill us! Now, I can draw it away from you three; you guys can escape, I'll deal with it!"

"No! You'll be killed!!!" Virginia exclaimed. They held each other, and Leora felt herself trying to think of something, but couldn't think of anything, and turned to where Damien had been for an answer. But, he was gone.

"Damien? Where's Damien? DAMIEN!" She heard herself scream. All three of them saw Damien going towards the dragon, burning the forest. Leora ran to him and stopped him.

"Damien? What are you doing? You'll be killed! You have nothing-"

"No! I have this! This sword and this shield got rid of this monster years ago! And if I stab that beast in the heart, Molefescent will be gone forever. The reason it didn't die those years ago was because Molefescent's human form wasn't defeated. But you did defeat her, and now, all there is left to do is kill this dragon! And I have to, the fate of the nine...ten kingdoms depends on it!"

"But you'll die! I don't want to lose you! I love you!" She kissed him and tried to make him stay. Leora felt the pain inside of her. She thought she'd never kiss him again. Tears soon came to her eyes.

Damien looked at the dragon's destruction, and then turned back to Leora. "As you wish." was all he said. He turned and ran off into the black smoke.

"NOO!!!" Leora felt herself scream. She tried to reach for him, but she felt herself slipping away, everything turned into bright light.

Waking up from her dream, Leora found herself moving in her sleep. She woke up just in time to find herself fall off the tall platform in the cave. She fell down fast; and in a flash, her world went black.


	27. Could this be the End?

Slowly, Leora opened her eyes. Everything was black. She blinked and then realized that she had just fallen off of the platform. It was at least sixty feet from the ground. 'How am I still alive?' She thought.

"I saved you." A voice called to her.

Leora looked around, and noticed she was floating. She jumped back a little from the scare, and when she turned around, she jumped back the other way. There was her fairy godmother, Constance, floating right next to her.

"Hi." She softly said.

"Aunt Connie!" Leora stood up and ran into her arms. They slowly floated up to the platform and sat down.

"What are you doing here? I'm not still dreaming, am I?" Leora asked.

"No, you're not. I knew you needed me. You called for me in the nick of time and I was able to rescue you. It was just like destiny." She smiled.

Leora stood up and walked to the other end of the platform, "No." she whispered.

"What my child?"

"NO! I'm sick and tired of hearing that _word_! Destiny! That's all my life is now! I mean, just last night I kissed the wizard who claims we're destined to be together! What if I don't want to have that destiny? Why does everything here have to already be planned? My stupid dream that keeps repeating is like a destiny too!"

Constance fluttered over to the girl who began crying. She patted her on the shoulder, "There, there my child. Come, sit down. I will tell you something."

She took her back away from Aden who was snoring quite noisily. The fairy dried Leora's tears and softly soothed her, "My sweet princess, you must remember-"

"No, I'm not a princess Connie! I just another regular average girl from New York! I'm just lost that's all! Everything's all been planned for me! I hate it! Why, just for once, can't I choose my own path?"

"You can my child! Listen to me, it is true that you were meant to be a ruler, but not everything in your life has been destiny!"

"Like what?" Leora said sniffling.

"Do you remember that one summer before your first year of high school? You were confused between going to cheerleading camp with the other girls or going to literature and arts camp. Everyone at school went to cheerleading camp, and you wanted to be included too. But, you loved to read. So, you went to lit. camp, and you loved it dearly."

Leora smiled a little, "Yeah, those were good times."

"Yes they were. And, that was only an example, Leora. You've had tons of decisions on your own. That very night you were crowned Lady of the Rose, you yourself chose that crown, when Wendell asked you."

"I know, but lately, everything's been so hard. It's so stressful. I don't know if I can handle all of these decisions!"

Her fairy godmother took her by the shoulders and they stood up, "My dear child, you are the strongest, bravest young girl I have ever known. I believe in you Leora. You can do whatever you wish. Life is a journey, not a destination."

Then, Constance began to disappear, "I love you my child, and just remember, _see_!" and then, she vanished.

Leora tried to think about what she had said, "_See_." She thought out loud. So, closing her eyes, she concentrated. Then, she opened her eyes and looked around. Suddenly, she saw something she hadn't noticed before. Right in front of her, at the other end of the cave, was a small hole leading to the outside. She could see the moonlight streaming in through the tiny window. Leora followed the light, watching her eyes drop all the way down, until it stopped.

And where it stopped, Leora understood. She looked ten feet in front of her at the pale moonlight circling her velvet purple sac. She ran towards it and opened it. She rummaged through it, and finally found it.

"_The History of The Nine Kingdoms. Volume 6._" Leora read out loud. She looked at the piece of red ribbon coming out from the side, where the mysterious page she had forgotten to read was marked. She slowly opened the book, licking her lips in anticipation. Then…

"What are you doing?" Aden said in a low booming voice that shook Leora all over.

"Suck an elf Aden! Why'd you have to sneak up on me like that?" She asked as he sat down next to her.

"Oh! The book! I completely forgot about it! Go ahead, read! What're you waiting for?"

"For you to die so I can celebrate!" She jokingly said. Aden sneered at her, then they read the page.

"I can't believe it! It's about the 6th Kingdom!" Leora gasped. The two looked and read what the page said:

_The 6th Kingdom is ruled by Queen Rapunzel who along with the rest of the citizens, are_

_asleep under an unbreakable 100 year spell. This kingdom is surrounded by a giant thorn wall that along with spells, magic traps and puzzles keep out all but the cleverest traveler_._ Her great grand daughter, Princess Reena, is the prize to whoever saves this land and its people. To this day, no one has been clever enough to break the spell._

"Huff Puff! Do you know what this means, Aden?" Leora said looking eagerly into his eyes.

Aden looked around, confused, "No. And I really don't care! I mean, all I care about is you, me, and our amazing adventure lying ahead of us!"

"But you can't! Look what is says? The girl back at my castle was a phony! A fake! But, how? How did she manage to fool everyone?"

"Well, look!" Aden said pointing to another red ribbon to another page. Leora gulped and turned to the page. Both she and Aden read the entire four pieces of parchment that covered that section, and then, immediately, Leora screamed.

"Leviathan!"

In no time at all, she heard monstrous steps bouncing toward her. As soon as her fire dragon appeared, he bowed to her.

"What is it my dear?" He asked.

"I need your help! Aden, Have we been gone _exactly_ two weeks?" She asked.

"Almost! It's only an hour until its been _exactly_ two weeks my love!" He smiled at her.

Leora sighed, "Thanks. Levi, I need you something!"

"Anything for you Leora!"

She looked the beast up and down, not finding any physical answer, "Umm, can you fly?"

The fire dragon smiled, and boldly said, "Fly? Of course I can fly! Last dragon in all the nine kingdoms with wings!"

Leora and Aden watched as the dragon's back began to move; and out popped two great wide black wings.

"Ahh! Haven't stretched these in years!" He said with a smile. The two hopped onto his neck.

"Come on Levi! We have to save the kingdoms!"

"Alright! We're gonna save the kingdoms! Isn't this exciting Leora?" Aden said enthusiastically.

"Trust me, you'll get tired of it by the _second_ time!" She said.

The dragon then blew a ball of fire hitting the stone walls. Then, from out of the cave, they burst into the sky, leaving the crumbling walls of the cave behind them.

Aden lifted his hands in the air and yelled, "I'm the king of the world!"

Leora turned around and glared at him. "What? Ever since I saw the movie I've always wanted to say it; now' my chance!" She rolled her eyes and laughed as they went off flying into the clouds.

"Can we stop? I'm starving!" Aden whined a while later.

"No! We have to stop it!" Leora yelled through the fierce winds.

"But it's been almost an hour!" He complained.

Leora's eyes bulged, "What?!?" She screamed turned to face him.

"Aye, it's true!" He said.

"Levi, how far are we from the 1st Kingdom?" She asked the dragon.

"I'm just now over the 9th Kingdom. Its right on top of the first! At my best we could get there in twenty minutes!"

"That's not fast enough! Aden, I need you!" She looked back at the wizard.

He looked at her curiously, "What do you mea- oh no! I'm not doing it! I'd be caught! And plus, I don't know if I can even carry this many with me!" he stated.

"Please Aden, you have to! The fate of all the kingdoms rests in your magical hands! It's sounds really corny saying it, but it's true!" Leora told him. She put her hand on his shoulder, and then, not believing it herself, leaned in, and kissed Aden on the cheek.

Turning red in a heartbeat, Aden exclaimed, "Alright! You convinced me! Hang onto your hats!" And he slowly stood up, trying to stay balanced on the moving dragon.

He closed his eyes and began speaking in his gibberish language. Leora held Aden's foot, and wrapped herself around Levi. She closed her eyes when she heard Aden scream. There was a bright flash, and they disappeared. Not a moment later, they reappeared on the clearing of a beautiful castle below.

"Levi! Land at once!" And with a bang, he planted his feet on the ground. "Distract the guards! They'll be on you in a matter of seconds! Aden, come with me!" And she took his hand and they ran into the bushes by the castle and waited.

Soon enough, all the guards came out and began to chase off Levi. The dragon took them away from the castle, and kept them from him by blowing fire. "Thanks Levi!" Leora whispered as she and Aden ran to the castle doors.

Inside, they looked around. No one was there. "Where is everyone? Where is the wedding?" She asked herself.

Aden then had an epiphany. "I know! We split up! I'll take this pathway, and you take that one!" As they came to a fork in the grand castle.

"Good idea! And if you find it, whistle!" And Leora began to walk off.

"Ey Leora! Ditto for you!" Aden smiled.

"I still can't believe you!" Leora shook her head. Then, they each turned and went off.

The wedding must've already started. She had to hurry. Leora soon found a staircase and ran up it. She made it to the top, and kept on running. All around her was white, the hallway was completely white. Leora thought it looked familiar, but she forgot it and kept running. Then, turning a corner, she stopped.

She whistled.

However, what she saw she couldn't believe. There, sitting right in front of her, was two double doors made of wood, with golden door handles.

"It's from my dream!" She whispered aloud. She stepped forward and looked at her reflection on the golden handles. Then, she thought of what her Fairy godmother had said, "Life is a journey, not a destination."

Leora pondered a minute, then said aloud, "I have had this dream for some time, but ultimately, it's my own choice whether I enter these doors or not. It's my choice…"

She looked at her reflection again, and then, made her choice.

Leora placed her hand on the golden handle, and pushed the doors open. Immediately, she looked up ahead of her and saw Princess Reena at the alter with Damien. They were on a balcony outside, holding hands, and Reena was smiling gleefully at Damien, who looked straight back at her. Then, the priest said, "I now pronounce you husband, and-"

"STOP!!!" Everyone, including the priest, looked straight back at Leora. Wendell and Tony looked at her with amazement; Wolf with relief; Virginia with shock; Reena with anger; and Damien, with astonishment.

Leora, looking nervously at the crowd of people, made her way up to the alter. She tried to remain confident, and thought of Constance to keep her brave.

"What are you doing ruining _my_ wedding?!?" Princess Reena whined in a shriek.

"Well, I figured before Prince Damien makes the biggest mistake of his life, he and everyone here should listen to what _I _have to say!" Leora said pushing the complaining princess away form her.

"Aden, please come forward please!" Leora summoned. And there he was, Aden the wizard, coming down the aisle holding a very large book in his hands.

"Cripes!!!" Wolf said in excitement, "I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Virginia asked.

But he only smiled at her, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough!"

Finally Aden stood a step down from Leora and opened the old book.

"What Aden is holding is the _History of the Nine Kingdoms Volume 6_ which discusses two very important topics which I'd like to share with you. First, the story of the 6th Kingdom, where our lovely Princess Reena is from! It says here that the entire Kingdom is under a sleeping spell and cannot be broken until someone defeats all obstacles and magically wakes everyone up! And, it clearly says Princess Reena would be the prize to whoever wakes her!

"But, of course you people already noticed that none of her family is even here!" Pointing to the right side of the room. It was filled with people, but everyone looked around, and there was no family.

"She's right!" Someone yelled.

But then Leora pointed out, "Oh, I'm not nearly finished! The reason that you all did not notice the history of Reena and her kingdom, is that she had placed you all under a spell!"

Aden then came in, "And that spell is called the Rethompetslive Spell! Now, this spell is a potion that the witch takes that causes everyone around her to love and adore her, having them do whatever she wishes! HOWEVER, this spell has one little tiny flaw! For some strange reason, it doesn't work on Werewolves!"

Everyone gasped. But Aden continued, "Now, this spell can be broken! But that is only when another magical person takes the magic away from the witch!"

"But why is the spell called the Rethompetslive Spell?" Virginia stood up and asked.

Leora smiled at her, "That is because that spell can only be used by the person who created it. And not only does that person use this spell, but also is able to possess anyone! That is, until the spell is broken!"

"But who is the witch?" Virginia asked again, smiling since she knew the answer.

Leora laughed, "Well, think about it! Does someone have a quill and some parchment?"

"I do!" Wendell said standing up holding them.

"Okay, write down the Rethompetslive Spell, the name I mean!" Leora ordered.

Wendell then took a book and wrote it down, "Now what?"

"Now, write the spell down backwards!"

Wendell did so, and then he gasped. He got out of his row and came straight up to the alter. He held up the paper that said, 'Rethompetslive Spell' and then he turned the paper over which said, 'evil stepmother spell.'

Everyone, again, gasped. Then, Aden took the princess by the arm and brought her in front of the crowd and Leora followed them, "This is no Princess! This is Queen Cinderella's evil stepmother from all those years ago! Her spirit has come back and possessed this girl and taken her body out from the 6th Kingdom. In reality, Princess Reena has been asleep the entire time!"

Then, Queen Cinderella stood up and came forward, "Are you trying to tell me that _my_ evil stepmother possessed this innocent girl and tried to marry Damien so she could not only take the 1st and 6th Kingdom, but all ten?"

"Yes, your highness!" Leora nodded. Reena then glared at Leora, she couldn't take it anymore.

"AHH!!!" She charged Leora and jumped on top of her, punching her and pulling her hair, "You've ruined it! You've ruined everything!!! I would've been Queen! I would've married Prince Damien!!!"

"Not while I'm still around!" Leora growled with her eyes turning red. All at once she lifted Reena off of her and held her against a wall. Then, Aden came up next to Reena.

"Hi!" was all he said before he began chanting in the wizard language. It was the counter spell. Reena screamed in her defeat, and Leora let go and began to walk away as Aden kept chanting.

"That wasn't so hard-" But suddenly Reena ran back up to Leora and put a knife at her neck, "Stop chanting you scoundrel or I'll spill her dirty wolf blood all over you!"

Aden dropped the book and put his hands in the air, "Okay, sorry mam!"

"No! Let her go!" Wolf yelled as he, Virginia and Tony ran up to the evil stepmother.

"Don't take another step! I'll kill your precious princess if it's the last thing I ever-"

But just as she said that, a fist came flying at her cheek and knocked the knife out from her hand. She looked over and saw Damien standing there, looking completely raged.

"Damien! Darling, I love you! Don't be this-" But he punched her again, knocking her out cold.

Aden then again started to chant, and once he finished, he leaned over and kissed Reena on the lips. The kiss was the end of the counter spell that would suck the power from the evil stepmother. Then, the spirit of the stepmother flew out of the girls body and dissolved into nothingness.

However, when Aden pulled out from the kiss, he hadn't just broken the witch's spell, but he had broken the 6th Kingdoms spell. Reena, the real Princess Reena, woke up.

The young, blonde girl opened her eyes and looked around at everyone, "Where, where, where am I?" She asked Aden.

"You are in the 1st Kingdom your highness." He bowed in a nod at her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I am Aden, Wizard of the 8th Kingdom!"

"Thank you Aden, I am eternally grateful for what you have done."

And everyone cheered. The 6th Kingdom's 100 year Sleeping Spell had ended, and the 1st Kingdom was again safe. Wolf took Virginia in his arms and kissed her sweetly. Wendell and Tony shook hands, and Aden helped Princess Reena up from the ground, not taking his eyes off of her.

Leora watched all of this far from the crowd, leaning on the edge of the balcony. She smiled as she watched everyone's happiness; she had saved the nine kingdoms, again.

"It's starting to get old isn't it? Saving these people over and over. I don't know about you, but I think we need a new adventure!" Damien said walking towards her, smiling.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, my right eye's finally healed from when you last hit me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! You were just under that spell, and you were kind of a jerk!"

"Yeah, well, I deserved it!"

"No, no you didn't. It would've happened to me too if I wasn't half wolf!"

He came closer to her and said, "Well I for one am bloody grateful that you are. Otherwise, we would be ruined!"

"Yeah, but, you helped too! You hit the evil witch!"

"That's right, I did. Man, I do have a good swing. I've been fighting for years you know, always been good at the sport! It seems only yesterday I was-"

"Damien?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up!" Leora smiled.

He smiled back. Then, he looked deeply into her green eyes with his deep blue ones, "Leora?"

"Yes Damien?"

"Was that the only reason you came here today? To save the kingdoms I mean?"

Leora put her hand on his and comforted him, "No Damien. I came for you as well."

"And why would that be?"

"I realized, no matter where I went or what I did, I've never been as happy as I've been with you. I guess I'll always be in love with you."

Damien sighed, "I guess I have the same problem myself." Then, they leaned in and tenderly kissed. Leora then jumped and wrapped herself around him and he held her tight.

Once they let go, Leora grinned at him, "Now, this feels right." And they kissed again.


	28. Another Wedding!

_Reading this journal of mine, my audience would think my story's over by now. Nope, not the least bit near the end! It's been several months since I've written in my journal, and I felt I should recap on what's happened since I last wrote. First off, Leviathan, my new guardian; Aden, that coward of a wizard; and me, the werewolf princess; defeated Cinderella's evil stepmother and saved the 6th Kingdom from the sleeping spell. And, we saved the other kingdoms for getting rid of the witch and her evil wedding plan to Prince Damien. Who, by the way, has gotten back together with me!_

_Wolf and Virginia are preparing for their baby, and have been thinking about names; even though they have no clue whether it's a girl or a boy. And Tony, with Wendell's help, has finally made his first bouncing castle. It's been a rather exciting time, especially with the wedding today and everything. Oh, I'm not getting married that's for sure! But, Damien has let a special couple tie the not here at his castle. Opps! It's about to start! Gotta go!_

_Leora_

"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the Bride!" The priest smiled as Aden gently leaned over and kissed Princess Reena, his bride. Everyone cheered and clapped from the balcony, as snow began to softly fall to the ground. Then, the happy couple thanked everyone for coming, and left the alter; shortly followed by the maid of honor and best man, Leora and Damien.

Champagne bottles popped and the ballroom was filled with food and laughter. Wolf and Virginia both enjoyed themselves at the buffet, while Tony desperately tried to talk to the two of them about their living arrangements when the baby arrives. And standing in the corner, Leora looked down at her brides maids dress, which she despised. It was a light pink that puffed out big at the waist. Her hair was all in curls with pink roses in her hair.

Then, the Bride came over and hugged Leora, "Oh, thank you so soo much for everything you've done! You introduced me to my loving and charming husband," She pointed over to Aden who was trying to light the candles, but ended up blowing fire in his face. He smiled when he saw Reena waving. And she continued to talk, "This has been the best day of my life! And I owe everything to you Lady Leora!" She curtsied in her puffy white dress.

"Well, I'm glad to see both of you happy! You make quite a-an intriguing couple!" This made Reena smile and she jumped over and hugged Leora tightly again. Even though she was losing oxygen, Leora smiled. Reena was a nice girl, and in the past few months, she and Reena became good friends.

Smiling, Reena went off to her poor helpless wizard. Leora again looked disgustedly at her dress. "Having fun?" A deep voice came from behind her.

"I am actually." Leora said turning to Wolf.

"That's wonderful! Listen, I never got a chance to apologize."

"What on earth for?"

"I should've stopped the carriage that day and explained everything to you! I should've gone with you and helped you stop the marriage before the actual day! I should've-"

"Stayed with Virginia and enjoy the honeymoon! And you did just that! No regrets bro; everything turned out alright!"

But still, he worried, "What if its not okay? What if the stepmom comes back? What if-"

"What if I put a fist in your teeth to shut you up?" Leora curled her hand threatening him.

The two looking seriously at each other, then broke into laughter. Wolf pulled Leora into a hug and gave her a noogie, "How is it _you're _the bully and I'm ten years older than you!"

Leora laughed as she escaped his wrath and twisted his arm, "I'm just the strong one!"

She let him go and he went off the Virginia bitter.

"No, you're just the beautiful one." Damien came up and kissed her innocently on the neck.

"Beautiful? In _this_?" She said acknowledging her pink puff ball. Damien watched her in her misery, trying desperately to hold back a grin, but failed.

He took her hands and admired her, "I think you're truly scrumptious!"

"Oh no I'm not! I don't look good in pink! Especially this pink!"

He took her out into his garden frosted with snow, "I think you look good _especially_ in pink!"

"You're too sweet to me." She simply said looking around at the frost winter wonderland.

Nervously, Damien kept his hands in his pockets, "Leora?"

Watching the garden still, Leora replied, "Yes?"

He looked at the ground, thinking hard to himself. He didn't know what to say, or how to say it, but then, he felt a soft white glove lift his head up from the ground.

"What?" Leora looked deeply into his eyes; and at that moment, Damien knew that he could tell her anything.

So, charmingly, the prince blurted out, "Did you kiss him?" some what more loudly than he anticipated.

"What?!?" Leora looked both shocked and insulted.

"Aden! I was talking to him before; and he told me that he first thought you were the girl he was meant to be with. He said he couldn't stop thinking about you until he first kissed Reena."

Laughing, shocked, Leora said, "I don't know where'd you get that idea from!"

"Oh! Good, I knew it! I knew you wouldn't-"

"Umm,"

"What?"

"I-uh,"

"You what?"

"I sort of, kind of, ha, did."

"Are you _serious_?"

"Oh come on Damien! It's not like you were still hung up on me! You were getting married to Reena!"

"I was under a spell! Did _he_ put you under a spell?"

"No. But listen please, right before he kissed me, do you know what he said?"

Damien came to a stone railing overlooking the frost fields of his kingdom, "As you wish."

"Yes. And as soon as he did, I immediately thought of you. The whole kiss was awkward, I didn't like it. I just didn't feel right. And, that night, I had a dream…"

"What happened?"

"It showed me running to two double doors in a white castle. And me opening them."

"My castle."

"Yes."

"So, it was your destiny to be with me."

"No. The door was my choice. I could've easily walked away, never turning back. But, I love you Damien, and I chose to be with you. Do you know what made me realize that?"

"No." He said solemnly. He looked out at the fields, ignoring her gaze.

"Look at me," She said moving his face towards hers, "I dreamt about the first time in my life that I thought I lost you. Back at my castle, with _her_. I thought I'd never feel the way I felt in that dream again. But then, you kissed me, and I knew that I wanted to be with you more than anything in the world. If everyone was against me on this; I'd die fighting for you. I love you Damien, there's nothing else to say."

Finally looking into her eyes, he asked, "Do you know why I asked if you kissed him?"

"No."

"Because I wanted to know that you did. I _wanted_ you to kiss him."

"Huh? Why?"

"I was your first love. I was also your first kiss. Before I wanted you to see what else was out there; and what it'd be like kissing another guy. And, you reacted the way I hoped you would. You knew the moment you kissed another guy that _I_ was the only guy you wanted to be with, the only one you ever wanted to kiss."

"That's true." Leora encouraged him.

"Well, that's what made me sure. Even knowing that you kissed someone else, I trust you. You proved that to me the moment you saved my life, at the wedding. Despite what you may say; you are the most incredibly stunning girl I've even met. And I could never imagine my life without you here in it. You're my fairytale Leora. You're my happily ever after. So,"

He took her left hand and got down on one knee. He pulled a small black velvet box out of his jacket pocket. Opening it, there glittering was a diamond gold ring. It was giant.

"Leora Annabelle Cranston, will you marry me?" He looked up at her indefinitely.

Letting the words rush over her, Leora smiled blissfully, "Yes." Was all she could say.

Grinning as well, Damien slipped the enormous ring onto her finger. Looking at it with gleam and curiosity, she asked him, "Damien, where did you get this? Who made it?"

"You know the story of the Diamond Gold?"

"Yes, when I went to the 7th Kingdom. The gateway was made of it."

"I thought that was just a myth?"

"No, it's not. But then, who formed this gigantic ring? It must've been someone with so much love."

"It was." Damien said standing up again, playing with her ring finger.

Leora looked at him for the second time in shock, "You made it?"

"I made it two months ago. It was slightly bigger than this; but I didn't want to give you a heart attack. Also, I wanted it to sit perfectly on your finger."

"I don't believe it!"

"Leora, I love you that much. You are my match; my one true love. And as 'corny' as you say it is, I always will."

Not standing it any longer, Damien leaned over and held her face, kissing her intensely. It was their longest and most passionate kiss yet.

They slowly parted, and Leora smiled and leaned against the snowy railing. Curiously, Damien asked, "What is it?"

"You're covered…" Leora muttered.

"I'm covered?"

"With snow!" And then she pulled her hands from behind her back, hitting Damien in the head with a snowball.

"Oh, no you don't!" Damien ran after her onto the snowy fields and hit her with a snowball. They laughed and played for quite some time. But then, they heard the sound of trumpets.

"Oh crap!" They both said and ran back up to the castle.

Inside, Aden was standing up speaking, "This has been the best four months of my life! I've met the girl of my dreams in just a short period of time. And, along the way, I felt my destiny was hopeless. But then, with the help of a very good friend of mine; I was able to realize that life is a journey, not a destination. Things aren't always planned or organized; and that's what Leora made me realize. Reena, you are the single blessing in my life, and I have Leora to thank for that. Would you come up and say a few words Leora?"

Standing in the corner of the room, Damien and Leora brushed off the snow and then she came up next to Aden and he hugged her. He smiled and went to sit with Reena, leaving Leora standing there.

"Umm, hi. Ha!" She said nervously. She looked around, seeing Wolf bury his face in his hands, Virginia comforting him, and then saw Damien next to them, smiling at her.

"Tonight, has without a doubt been one of the best nights of my life! And, not just because of the love I've found again, but because of my friends. When I first began my journey through this land, I felt lost, confused, and frightened. But since then, I've grown so much, and with that, I've made friends that I will keep 'till the day I die. Two of them are you Queen Reena, and you, Aden the Wizard. You've brightened my life more than you could possibly ever know. I wish you both an eternal happiness together. Cheers!"

She said chuckling. Everyone took a sip of their glasses, and Leora found a glass and did the same; swallowing the champagne trying not to show disgust as much as she could, then went over to Damien.

"That was wonderful Leora." He kissed her hand politely.

"You know, I like that."

"Like what?"

"The fact that you call me Leora. No nick names, just Leora. And also, I wanted to say I'm really excited!"

"Ditto." Damien smiled.

Wolf looked over at the happy couple curiously, "What's the excitement about? It's not like you two are getting married!" He laughed at them. They looked at him, then at each other. Damien took Leora's hand and took her off to his ballroom where there was music.

"RIGHT?" Wolf yelled after them. From the corner of the room, Leora sparkled her ring at Wolf. His mouth dropped and he gasped.

"HUFF PUFF!" Virginia looked over at him grinningly, "Oh, would you calm down? They're happy; you be happy for them!"

"But, but, she's my little sis! She can't get _married_!" He said somberly.

"Oh, you just watch," She said, taking his hand and leading him to the ballroom, "They will without a doubt!"


	29. Where Our Fable Ends

The summer blossoms sprung to life that sunny day; there was joy and serenity

throughout the ten kingdoms. Peace filled the air as the towers of the Sleeping Queen stood tall. However, taking a closer look, there was not any stillness.

"Yes, put the sculpture over there! George! What are you doing? You can't put those out yet! We still have half an hour until it begins! Set it out in twenty minutes! Put it back, put it back!" Lord Rupert, of the 4th Kingdom, advisor to King Wendell, was in charge of decorating for the big occasion.

'Wow! Ruperts doing a superb job!' Thought the dark one suddenly stopping and looking at the decorations, 'Don't get sidetracked! You can't! Oh, I can't believe she'd do this _today_ of all days! Oh, that's right, she's the royal one! Huff puff!' He kept speeding towards one of the corridors and trying to fix is tie and suit. "Ahha!" He claimed triumphantly as he opened the door to one of the rooms and shut it behind him.

"Oh, hello Wolf! Glad you're here!" He said as he saw Wolf enter the room. A tailor was helping him adjust his suit to make him look perfect. Tony and Wendell sat on the couch where Wolf joined them.

"You're going to be great today, and there's nothing to worry about!" Wendell said stressfully.

"Yep, it'll be a breeze. Marriage life is a piece of cake!" lied Tony.

"OOH! Cake! Where?" Wolf looked around then Tony hit him.

Then, he turned around, "Well, how do I look?" The three men stood up and smiled. His suit was a black velvet that shimmered a dark blue in the light. He had on a matching bow tie and his hair was combed neatly. Looking at them with his deep blue eyes, he smiled cheerfully. He actually looked ready.

"You're really looking forward to this?" Tony asked,

"Yep." He replied.

"And you're not nervous at all?" Wendell asked.

"Or hungry?" Wolf added.

"Nope, not at all. I've been waiting for this day my entire life. I never thought I'd be the type that'd get married, but I'm sure glad I am. Leora's the best; she's the one. I get to spend the rest of my life with her."

The three men looked at Damien, "He's ready." They all each shook his hand and then he went and looked out the window. 'I've never been this calm and serene in my entire life! I guess that's how my life's going to be! And I bet Leora is taking this the same way I am. Knowing her, she's as cool as a cucumber!"

"Oh cripes! I'm so nervous that my face is flustered red!" Leora looked at her complexion in the mirror.

"Now calm down; everything's alright! Your dress is perfect, your hair is beautiful, I love your shoes, and your eyes are simply gorgeous!" Virginia comforted her.

"But my face is redder than Levitations'!" Leora embellished. She went over to the balcony window and leaned against the post. Reena and Virginia looked at each other and sighed. There was nothing they could do to help Leora.

"This wedding is going to be a disaster!" Leora cried. Then, a tear rolled down her face. As soon as it hit the ground, there was a light knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Virginia asked opening the door. Leora didn't even bother looking up she didn't care. Then, she felt someone's hand come to her chin.

"Now, now, my child, don't you cry." And there she was, Leora's fairy godmother, Constance. She was in human form.

Leora immediately leaned over and hugged her, "How…how is it possible? You're dead! A ghost fairy! But you don't have any wings! And you're warm!" Leora said touching her fairy's hands.

"I'm human, for today. It's what I'd like to give you as a wedding gift; and also a birthday gift. You're eighteen today as I recall from the last seventeen birthdays I've attended!" She smiled at Leora.

"Now, I hear you feel you have a problem?" She asked looking at Virginia and Reena who only nodded to Leora, feeling they didn't have a clue.

"My face, look at it! It's painted red!" She desperately told her.

Constance only laughed and said kindly, "Your mother had the same problem the day she was crowned Queen! Come and sit at your dresser!" Leora did, looking at her crimson face. Constance then pulled out her wand and opened on of the compartments on the shelf that Leora could never get open. Then, she pulled out a small green box that said 'fairy dust' on it.

"Fairy Dust?" Leora looked at her skeptically.

"Yes, fairy dust," She opened the box and pulled out what looked like gold glitter and sprinkled it all over Leora, "It keeps your skin perfectly clear; as well as-"

"Makes you fly?" Leora confronted her.

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Yes, it does make you fly. But, only when you choose to fly. And please, please, _please_; don't do it in the middle of the ceremony!"

Hiding her grin, Leora comforted her, "I won't!" then she looked up into the mirror. All the girls gathered around her and gazed at her in awe. Leora touched her face, and looked at herself, "I can't believe it! I've never looked like…_this_ before!"

"Hmm, something's missing!" Constance said. She looked around Leora's room, and then sighed in relief. "Got it! Here," She said as she slowly fit Leora's rose into her hair, "I gave this to Damien to give to you, and I want you to have this on the day of your wedding. It's the sign of the bond you two share; which will be in bloom forever."

Looking up at the old woman, Leora smiled, "Thank you Fairy Constance."

"Oh no," She corrected her, "For today, I'm simply your Aunt Connie!"

Again, there was a knock on the door. Slowly, Wolf entered, "It's time."

Outside, in Princess Leora's enormous garden, the wedding was about to take place. It was a bright, sunny morning, at just the right temperature. The chairs and the alter were surrounded by rose bushes and beautifully decorated petite trees. The only way into this secluded area was on a path that had wicker arches all along the path decorated with roses of all colors. The entire pathway from the castle to the alter was covered with all different colored rose petals.

Everyone sat in the garden, as soft violins played as Damien walked down the aisle. He stood at the alter next to the kind priest, who softly spoke to him, "Thanks."

"For what Minister?"

"For giving me such great business! This is the fourth royal wedding I've done in less than a year!" He smiled at the young prince. Damien grinned and the priest patted him on the shoulder.

Then, Damien looked at the witnesses. He smiled as he watched Cinderella herself keep tears from her eyes. His father comforted her, and nodded to him proudly. Damien nodded in return. Then, he looked and saw Aden sitting on Leora's side. He noticed Damien staring, and waved. Damien smiled, over the past few months he had put Aden's past crush on Leora aside, and they slowly had become friends.

At that time, the violins began to play another song, signaling the wedding's maids and groomsmen were about to come forth. But all of a sudden, there was a loud thump that shook the earth. It startled everyone, mostly Lord Rupert, hoping the decorations would make it through. They did, and he again relaxed. Everyone turned to the left and saw from behind the rose bushes stood Leviathan, who instantaneously apologized. He sat down, still very tall, and winked at Damien.

Leviathan and Damien had gotten to know each other as well; and as far a Damien was concerned, Leviathan was the coolest friend he had ever had, and the coolest dragon, even though he'd only met two. But, they always made numerous trips to all of the nine kingdoms, and enjoyed them greatly.

Then, the flower girl came down the aisle. However, it wasn't a girl, and she didn't drop flowers. It was Leora's aunt, Fairy Constance, and Damien immediately recognized her from Leora's constant talk about her. She floated to the alter, sprinkling silver dust as she went, bringing a smiled to everyone's faces. Then, she came to Damien, holding a small box in her hand. She opened it, and revealed two of the most beautiful rings he'd ever seen. He smiled, and took Leora's ring and looked at the fairy.

She warmly told him, "This is my wedding gift!" and then looked to see the first couple enter from the rose covered arches.

It was Queen Reena and King Wendell; both wearing the colorful roses colors. Reena was dressed in a soft pink dress, and Wendell wore a soft yellow. They made their way down the aisle, and Reena merrily talked on and on to Wendell.

"I just love that Leora and Damien came up with the whole 'all rose colors' theme for the wedding. You know, it's because of Leora's one rose; it changes all different colors. Like pink, yellow, b-"

"I know Reena, I know. But why did _I_ have to be stuck in the yellow suit?" Wendell complained.

"Because you look great in yellow! You know, my husband, Aden, sitting over there, looks great in a forest green, did you know that…" And she went on and on talking to poor King Wendell after they had approached the alter.

Then, through the roses, came Virginia and her father Tony. She wore a beautiful purple, while Tony was dressed in a baby blue. Trying desperately to hold back the tears, Virginia said to him, "I never thought I'd walk down a wedding aisle with you again! It's more wonderful then the first time!"

"Yeah, well, make sure it's the _last_ time!" Tony forcefully said. She held his hand and she felt getting very mushy inside as they then stood at the alter. Wendell and Tony exchanged looks of distress, and slowly sighed knowing there was no way to get out of this.

Then, it was time. The violins grew silent, and a solo flute began to soothingly play. Far away at the castle doors, two figures walked down the steps to the long archway of leaves and rose petals.

"Wolf?" Leora asked nervously.

"Yes?"

"How do I look?"

"Leora, I couldn't even find words to describe how beautiful you look. But I'll say this; never in my life have a seen a prettier Queen!"

"I'm not a Queen, yet." She corrected him.

"That's true. But, looking at you, you don't look like you're related to me your so gorgeous!"

"Wolf!"

"Aww, I'm just kidding. I'm so happy to see that you do look like me. You and I, we both have dad's smile. But it really shows on you. So don't worry about a single thing; you've got your friends right here!"

They finally were at the end of the beautifully decorated archway. Leora looked around her at the gaping people, "No Wolf. I've got my _family_ right here." She smiled at everyone, and her true beauty showed.

Out she stepped onto the rose covered pathway leading to the alter. She wore the glass slippers famously worn by Cinderella herself all those years ago. Her dress was a lovely creamy white; strapless and had white sparkling flowers embroidered from her chest all the way to her stomach, then making an upside down V to her feet on each side of the front of her dress. It puffed out, having white rose petals lightly sewed and scattered onto the backside of the dress, slowly curving around to the front. She wore her mother's necklace, which was small and simple with tiny diamonds and pearls, with petite matching earrings. Her hair was all curled and pinned beautifully up, with only two little ringlets falling out at each side of her face. And in the top bun, her eternal rose sat, glowing endless colors in the sun; full of life.

"Heaven's angel!" Leviathan said breathlessly.

At last, Leora looked up into the eyes of the groom, Damien, just steps from the alter. He was speechless, Leora glowed like never before; she was completely and utterly flawless.

Then, Wolf and Leora looked at each other. Softly, Leora whispered, "Wolf, I'm glad you were the one to give me away. I couldn't imagine anyone else more like my father than you. I love you wolfie." She leaned over and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. Wolf hummed a moan and went and sat down, trying so hard not to cry. And, at that moment, Damien locked his arm with Leora's and they stood on the edge of the alter, happily getting married.

"You may now exchange your vows. Damien, go ahead." signaled the priest. Damien placed his hands in Leora's and looked sincerely into Leora's eyes, "My dearest Leora, the first moment I saw you, changed my life forever. I some how knew at that precise moment, that you were the woman that I was going to marry. You are my closest friend and the sole person I trust with my life. I'd give you anything you asked me to. You are my dearest friend, and I'd like to join you by your side through life. I promise to be with you, now and forever. It is plain, as anyone here can see, we are simply meant to be."

Virginia let out a cry, tears running down her face. Reena cried as well, making both Tony and Wendell roll their eyes. They calmed the ladies, leaving Leora to cry a couple of tears before she spoke.

"Leora, you may proceed." The priest said. She looked up at Damien, smiling at her with confidence. 'You can do this' she felt him tell her in her mind. She took a deep breath, and spoke, softly at first, "All my life, I had lived feeling ordinary. Never, not for seventeen years, was my life ever considered as a fairytale. But then, I met some great friends, who led me on a life-changing adventure. Yes, I've saved these lands two times now and probably will again. But, not once, did I know that my ultimate adventure would be you. I never expected that I would find true love; I thought I'd die an old, lonely woman with nothing in her life but regret. Now, I can proudly say that I found the one. Damien, you are my soul mate; you are my match in every way. I will be your wife and supporter in everything, almost everything you do and love you through it all. We've had some rough times in the past, and we will have more. However, this ring I am about to place on your finger symbolizes this promise; I'll always be with you, there is no one else for me, no one else I feel completely full of love for. I love you Damien."

Leaning on a stranger's shoulder, Wolf loudly cried, "She's all grown up!" The stranger rolled his eyes and patted Wolf lightly on the shoulder.

"The rings please." The priest said. Constance came up to the two of them and Leora took Damien's blue sapphire ring and placed it on his finger. Then, Damien took her emerald ring and placed it carefully on hers.

"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss your Bride!" the priest smiled.

Leora looked innocently into Damien's eyes. He sweetly placed his hands on her face and whispered as he leaned in, "You really are an angel." And kissed Leora. It really was the purest of them all.

Everyone cheered and stood up applauding. Wolf sobbed more and more, until Virginia came up to him. Then, Aden came over to the couple and told Wolf, "Mr. Wolf, I thought I should let you know, you have a great sister up there. And a great son right here!"

And wrapped in the finest red silk lay Virginia's and Wolf's baby boy. Aden handed him to Wolf, who took him with care. He almost immediately stopped crying and said, "Virginia, we really are blessed!"

"Yes we are, we finally have our little Wolfram!" She smiled and kissed the baby's head.

Hours later, the garden was cleared of chairs and a dance floor was set up. People were eating, laughing, and enjoying themselves at the tables around the floor. Then, in the center of the dance floor, Queen Cinderella hushed the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time for me to give up my crown and pass it on to another. Princess Leora, Prince Damien, please step forward." Damien led Leora to his great grandmother in the center. Lord Rupert came up holding a green velvet pillow with two crowns he had just polished on it.

"My great grandson, step forward." Cinderella took his golden crown covered in jewels and slowly placed it on his head saying, "I hereby name thee King Damien of the 1st and 8th Kingdom." He bowed to Cinderella and happily hugged her. She turned to Leora and loudly said, "Leora, step forward."

Nervously, she did. Cinderella eyed her suspiciously, "I myself was curious of Princess Reena when she tried to marry my son. I also saw you and Damien a month before at your ceremony crowned as Princess. There was never a time that I haven't seen my great grandson so happy other than dancing with you. I have a surprise for you." She took the crown from Rupert's pillow. "This isn't a new crown; this was your great-grandmother's."

Everyone gasped. No one had seen the crown in ages. It was silver with diamond gold shining on it, with a light blue diamond in the center. "I know that after the bravery, the wit, the generosity, sincerity, and purity you have shown to all of us; that my good friend Queen Aurora would have wanted you to have this. She told me on her deathbed that only one descendent would be worthy enough to pass down her crown. She placed it in my hands for my choosing. I believe that the Queen she spoke of was you, Leora. So, without any ado, I pronounce you, Queen Leora, Lady of the Rose, the Sleeping Queen, the ruler over the 1st and 8th Kingdom!" Cinderella placed the magical crown on Leora's head, and the crowd cheered.

Leora curtsied to Cinderella, and she returned it. Then, as the old Queen and Rupert left the floor, Leora turned to Damien. She touched his crown and smiled, "You look so much older!"

"Ey! I think I look good in my father's crown! It suits me!" He said letting his thick British accent show.

They laughed and he told her lovingly, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I still can't believe you chose me!"

"Well, I did. I have a gift for you." She then revealed a small wooden carved sculpture in her hand. Damien took it and said without a doubt, "It's you and me. We're, well, we're dancing."

With her hand gently holding his face, she told him, "And we will for the rest of our lives." Then, she leaned in and kissed him. The audience applauded and the musicians struck up the band. Fireworks began to shoot in the sky. Damien took Leora's right hand in his and held her close with his left. He drifted her off into the music and twirled her around. Everyone else in the crowd, including Wolf and Virginia, began to dance as well. The happy couple smiled at each other, never looking away. Damien then felt that he was dancing so well that it felt like floating.

Leora laughed softly as Damien looked at his feet. He was right, he _was_ floating. Leora let the fairy dust finally take effect. Damien then gave Leora a look, and she grinned at him. He smiled and laughed with her, and danced the night away with his bride.

_Everyone could see us in our blissfulness, dancing in the air. It was the best day of my life. And after the day was done, Damien and I went on our honeymoon. Leviathan took us away from the castle, it was beautiful. He took us to a secluded place by the ocean that rarely anyone has ever known about. We were there for seven days, just the two of us. And now, we have returned. And I've never been happier. So, like I said in the first place, this isn't your typical Cinderella story. Nope. This is my story; my story of how I turned from your everyday girl to a werewolf and a princess. But, now that I look back, I was never normal, I was something special. I just needed my prince to realize it. So now, my story with you all ends. But life, well, I haven't even begun living it._

_Leora_

"Are you almost done? I just put it in, I think!" Damien said from inside Leora's bedroom. Leora closed the last page of her journal and took one last look at the stars in the sky, then came into her room. She put the journal down and jumped on the bed next to Damien, who had just pressed the play button for the television. The Princess Bride began to play, and Damien watched with amazement.

"What did you say this was again?"

"It's a television. They're quite popular in the 10th Kingdom. And this is the greatest love story you will ever see!" Leora told him pointing to the tv screen.

He turned and looked at her, taking her in his strong arms and smiling at her, "No, _this_ is the greatest love story I've ever heard, read, or seen!" And then he kissed her passionately.

Outside, the night filled with light from the white moon, and the stars glittered on as brightly and as boldly as they have for years before. And inside, where the blissful couple lay, on the bedside table the eternal rose could be seen, forever shining.

The End

Happy New Year my fanfic readers! I hope you've enjoyed my story!!! I had sooo much fun writing it! And please, look for me in the new year; I'm coming up with another story very soon! It's not the 10th Kingdom though; so keep a sharp eye! Thanks for all the reviews!!! GB!Fairytale Dreamer


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